§ Mrs Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Chief Executive of Network Rail about the environmental and health hazards posed by the deposit of litter and human excrement on railway lines; and if she will make a statement. [88718]
§ Mr. MeacherWe have had no meetings with the Chief Executive of Network Rail regarding the environmental health hazards posed by litter and human excrement on railway lines.
However, I understand that Network Rail continues to work closely with its maintenance contractors to ensure the lineside is clear from surplus litter, excrement and to prevent the future build-up of such material.
The discharge onto a railway track from a sanitary convenience or sink forming part of a vehicle used for carrying passengers on a railway, where the discharge is less than 25 litres, is exempt from waste management licensing. These exemptions are specific activities and are defined in Schedule 3 of the Waste Management Licensing Regualtions 1994. Exemptions are prescribed so as to meet the terms set out in Article 11 of the Waste Framework Directive. Under the terms of Article 11, exemptions must ensure protection of the environment and human health.
Since 1995 all newly-constructed trains are required to be fitted with retention tanks which obviate the need for such discharge. There is no finance available to make the alterations to pre-1995 carriages.