§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the implementation of European legislation on the treatment and disposal of liquid dredgings from waterways. [129399]
§ Margaret BeckettThe regulatory and technical provisions of the 1999 EU Landfill Directive, including those on the treatment and disposal of liquid dredgings, were implemented in England and Wales by the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002. The Government recognise that some organisations responsible for the management of waterways in England may encounter difficulties in disposing of liquid dredged material, particularly when the ban on landfilling of liquid wastes comes fully into force. (The decision on when the ban will start will be taken following consultation with interested parties). The Department is currently working with waterways' representatives to identify a way forward that meets the needs of all parties.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the cost to industry of a requirement to recover 60 per cent. of packaging waste by 2008. [129401]
§ Margaret BeckettAn assessment of the likely costs to industry was included in the draft Regulatory Impact Assessment which forms part of the Consultation Paper on Changes to the Packaging Regulations issued by the Department on 21 July 2003. A copy of the RIA will be laid in the Library of the House when finalised towards the end of the year.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she offers to farmers wishing to dispose of(a) farm plastics and (b) silage wrap. [129267]
§ Mr. MorleyCurrent guidance to farmers wishing to dispose of(a) farm plastics and (b) silage wrap is contained in the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice.
However, we will shortly be consulting on Regulations to apply the controls necessary under the Waste Framework Directive to agricultural waste. The Regulations will prohibit the burial and uncontrolled burning of agricultural waste. Until these Regulations come into force we can only encourage farmers to dispose of their waste in ways that are not harmful to the environment and human health.
Within the consultation exercise, we will also be seeking comments on the options for a scheme to collect and recycle farm plastics.
The consultation will be issued in late 2003.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress in distributing to local authorities the 2003–04 financial allocation for the Waste Implementation Programme. [129403]
§ Margaret BeckettAs announced on 4 July, £24 million of the funds available to the Waste Implementation Programme in this Financial Year will be allocated to local authorities through the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. £3.6 million was 1199W allocated to London, and Defra has announced the 19 schemes we propose to support elsewhere in the country. Funds will be distributed in response to valid claims sent by the relevant local authorities.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria she intends to use to determine the allocation of money to local authorities under the Waste Management Performance Fund. [129404]
§ Margaret BeckettNo decisions have yet been taken on the criteria to be used for making awards from the Performance Reward Grant, which will be introduced in 2005–06. The Government will consult interested parties on the design of the Grant towards the end of this year.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy that local authorities should be allowed to carry forward into the next financial year money allocated through the Waste Implementation Programme. [129405]
§ Margaret BeckettAs announced on 4 July, £24 million of the funds available to the Waste Implementation Programme in this financial year will be allocated to local authorities through the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. The current Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund is a discrete year fund and as such there is no automatic right to end of year flexibility for local authorities. If there are valid reasons that local authorities will not be able to complete their capital spend the Department can seek end-year flexibility.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much household waste was collected in(a) 1996 and (b) 2002. [131107]
§ Mr. MorleyResults from the Municipal Waste Management Survey show that the amount of waste collected from households in England were 22,549 thousand tonnes in 1996–97 and 25,592 thousand tonnes in 2001–02. Results for 2002–03 are not yet available.