HC Deb 05 March 2003 vol 400 cc1100-2W
Norman Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many(a) complaints, (b) court actions and (c) fines against industry for problems related to (i) odours, (ii) water pollution, (iii) air pollution and (iv) human health impact (A) in total, (B) in each region and (C) per site there have been in each year since 1995. [99213]

Alun Michael

I have been asked to reply.

The Environment Agency does not collect all the requested information and has relevant data only since 1999. All the pollution control systems listed below address human health impact, although figures are not kept separately for offences relating to actual or potential human health impacts. No data are held on complaints. The following information is available from the Agency's database.

Data on odours are not kept separately but are included in data for waste licensing, the total fines for which were as follows:

Date Total (£) Regional breakdown (£)
1999 46,650 Anglian 8,000, Midlands 11,750, NE 11,000, NW 6,400, Southern 9,500
2000 226,400 Anglian 27,000, Midlands 107,500, NE 8,000, NW 43,200, Southern 16,200. Thames 1,500, Welsh 23,000
2001 124,834 Anglian 3,000, Midlands 72,500, NE 4,334, NW 7,500, Southern 23,500, Welsh 14,000
2002 176,800 Anglian 30,500, Midlands 12,600, NE 6,000, NW 72,500, SW 2,500, Southern 41,450, Thames 6,000, Welsh 5,250

Of these fines below, the following related to offences under section 33(1)(c) of the Environmental Protection Act: to treat, keep or dispose of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.

Total fines in England and Wales in respect of integrated pollution control and integrated pollution prevention (which also includes odour offences) were as follows:

Date Total (£) Regional breakdown (£)
1999 100.050 Anglian 1,000, Midlands 1,750, NE 9,000, SW 4,300. Thames 59,000, Welsh 25,000
2000 352,500 Midlands 50,000, NE 166,000, NW 70,000, SW 30,000, Thames 44,000, Welsh 2,500

Date Total (£) Regional breakdown (£)
2001 92,000 Midlands 33,000, Thames 44,000, Welsh 15,000
2002 22,750 Midlands 5.000, NE 10,000, NW 7,500, Welsh 250

Total fines in England and Wales in respect of water pollution were as follows:

Date Total (£) Regional breakdown (£)
1999 46,450 Anglian 8,000, Midlands 11,750, NE 11,000, NW 6,400, Southern 9,500
2000 226,400 Anglian 27,000, Midlands 107,500, NE 8,000, NW 43,200, Southern 16,200, Thames 1,500, Welsh 23,000
2001 124,834 Anglian 3,000, Midlands 72,500, NE 4,334, NW 7,500, Southern 23,500, Welsh 14,000
2002 176,800 Anglian 30,500, Midlands 12,600, NE 6,000, NW 72,500, SW 2,500, Southern 41,450, Thames 6,000, Welsh 5,250

Of these fines below, the following related to offences under section 33(1) (c) of the Environmental Protection Act: to treat, keep or dispose of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.

Date Total (£) Regional breakdown (£)
1999 123,100 Midlands 30,350, NE 81,500, NW 5,500, Southern 2,500, Welsh 3,250
2000 47,835 Midlands 24,135, NW 2,500, SW 4,000, Southern 3,000, Thames 1,000, Welsh 3,200
2001 85,950 Anglian 6,000, Midlands 51,050, NE 1,000, NW 2,500, Southern 4,000, Thames 12,000, Welsh 9,400
2002 123.700 Anglian 52,000, Midlands 33,000, NW 10,000. SW 16,000, Thames 3,000, Welsh 9,700

Total fines in England and Wales in respect of integrated pollution control and integrated pollution prevention (which also includes odour offences) were as follows:

Date Total (£) Regional breakdown (£)
1999 704,755 Anglian 145,000, Midlands 28,950, NE 64,700, NW 148,500, SW 19,305, Southern 91,050, Thames 137,000, Welsh 70,250
2000 1,178,450 Anglian 226,250, Midlands 188,500, NE 81,600, NW 78,400, SW 77,800, Southern 123,000, Thames 264,350, Welsh 138,550
2001 1,306,700 Anglian 233,300, Midlands 112,100, NE 125,950, NW 175,150, SW 96,150, Southern 101,950, Thames 243,600, Welsh 218,500
2002 1,943,766 Anglian 267,950, Midlands 214,700, NE 69,000, NW 391,900, SW 181,550, Southern 85,580, Thames 387,586, Welsh 145,500

Local authorities also regulate air pollution from industry. The Department does not collect information about numbers of complaints or distinguish between the different court actions. Data on prosecutions from the Department's annual statistical report on the Local Air Pollution Control regime, available from 1997, is as follows.

Date Total (£) Regional breakdown (£)
1997–98 62,400 West Midlands 17,750, NW 9,000, Yorks & Humber 1,000, NW 16,500, Wales 12,500, East Midlands 650, East of England 5,000
1998–99 88,900 NE 10,000, West Midlands 38,250, NW 7,000, East of England 8,000, Wales 5,000, SE 12,650, East Midlands 8,000
1999–00 175,500 South East 4,000, Yorks & Humber 21,500, East Midlands 4,000, Wales 146,000
2000–01 87,510 East of England 72,400, West Midlands 2,000, Yorks & Humber 5,500, SW 7,250
2001–02 62,500 Yorks & Humber 10,500, West Midlands 15,000, SE 29,000, Welsh 8,000

The Department holds no data on odour. This information is available from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.