HC Deb 30 October 2003 vol 412 cc384-5W
Mr. Swire

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the impact of(a) licensing requirements and (b) notification fees on government targets on waste management. [132658]

Mr. Morley

The waste recovery operations that require a licence are set out in Article 10 of and Annex IIB to the Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC as amended by 91/156/EEC) and have been in force in the UK since May 1994. Composting is included in Annex IIB to the Directive.

Member states have discretion under Article 11(1)(b) of the Directive to adopt "general rules" providing exemptions from the licensing requirements of Article 10. The Department has recently carried out a consultation exercise in England and Wales on the revision of the current licensing exemption for composting. A regulatory impact assessment was published as part of this consultation exercise and is available on the Department's website. Licence exemptions are a less onerous form of control than licences and they are provided to encourage the recycling of waste and the attainment of recycling targets.

Norman Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on(a) the incineration of hazardous waste in cement kilns and (b) the importation of such waste for that purpose. [133106]

Mr. Morley

Cement kilns and other co-incineration plants can play a significant role in the treatment of hazardous waste. Evidence given to the House of Commons EFRA Select Committee inquiry on hazardous waste last year suggests that cement kilns have capacity to deal with significantly more hazardous waste than at present. I am keen to ensure that all treatment options for hazardous waste are considered, and that there should be a diversity of management options available. The UK Management Plan for Exports and Imports of Waste sets out Government policy in relation to the export and import of hazardous waste, including for the incineration of waste in cement kilns. The plan is currently under review in the light of recent European case law, and the on-going review of the Council Regulation (EEC) No. 259/93 on the supervision and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community.

Norman Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage waste collection authorities to segregate waste paper from organic material in the waste stream. [133116]

Mr. Morley

The Government have set challenging targets (Statutory Performance Standards) for recycling and composting for all local authorities in England and Wales. It is up to each authority to decide which materials to collect, and in what manner, in order to meet those targets, based on local conditions. Their decision will be informed by the strength of the market for each material in the local area, and any quality requirements imposed by processors.

We are committed to reviewing the recycling and composting targets in 2004, in light of the progress made by local authorities in meeting their 2003–04 Statutory Performance Standards.