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Energy Efficiency
28. Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many pensioners and people over the age of 60 years have received help under the home energy efficiency scheme. [4904]
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Age became a ground for grant in April 1994. Since then, some 530,000 grants have been paid to householders who claimed on the basis that they
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or their spouse was aged 60 or over. Grant eligibility for over-60s currently depends solely on age, not income, and no information is available on how many grant recipients are pensioners.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he expects to lay before Parliament the order altering the structure of local government in Rutland and Leicestershire; [6207]
(2) what he expects to be the date of the first local government elections in Rutland within the proposed unitary county. [6208]
Sir Paul Beresford: My right hon. Friend intends to lay the order giving effect to structural change in Leicestershire before Parliament early in the new year. This will allow for elections to the future unitary authorities in May 1996 and reorganisation on 1 April 1997.
Cryptosporidium
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest advice he has received on cryptosporidium in drinking water. [4896]
Mr. Clappison: The expert group, chaired by Sir John Badenoch, published its second report on 2 November this year.
This confirmed that control over the catchment areas from which source waters are drawn and meticulous control and management of water treatment processes are the main safeguards against further outbreaks of waterborne cryptosporidiosis.
Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, which are thought to be linked to drinking water, are investigated by the drinking water inspectorate and the case for prosecuting a water company for supplying water unfit for human consumption is considered.
Mrs. Gorman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the landfill sites in Essex; and what type of waste can be deposited in each of these sites. [6049]
Mr. Clappison:
The Department of the Environment does not keep records of individual landfill sites. This information can be obtained from the register maintained by Essex waste regulation authority.
Ms Quin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has about the numbers of glow worms in England over the past 30 years. [6180]
Mr. Clappison:
The Government's statutory scientific advisers, English Nature, advise that quantitative data on the abundance of the glow worm--Lampyris noctiluca-- in England is scarce. Accurate recording of the population trends is difficult, in particular because the species is nocturnal and is easily detected only for around two weeks of the year.
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Available information suggests that the British population of Lampyris noctiluca may have declined over the past 50 years but is still present over most of its natural range.
Mrs. Roche:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many (a) orders and (b) firms are represented by the percentage of invoices not paid by his Department within 30 days in 1994-95. [6492]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The information requested is not held centrally by my Department and is available only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what was the number of tonnes of (a) inactive waste and (b) other waste, collected by local authorities in England and Wales and disposed of to landfill, in each year since 1990; [6821]
(2) what is the forecast number of tonnes of (a) inactive waste and (b) other waste, which local authorities in England and Wales will collect and dispose of to landfill, in each year from 1995 to 2000; [6822]
(3) what is the expected total amount of money that local authorities in England and Wales will pay in landfill levy in each year from 1996 to 2000; [6823]
(4) what is the current range of landfill costs per tonne in England and Wales; [6825]
(5) what assessment has been carried out by his Department into the price elasticity of demand for landfill. [6890]
Mr. Clappison:
Local authorities are responsible for the collection and disposal of household and commercial waste. The Government's strategy for sustainable waste management, published last week, records that the estimated annual arisings for household and commercial waste in the United Kingdom are 35 million tonnes. Around 90 per cent. of household waste and 85 per cent. of commercial waste currently go to landfill. Very little of this is likely to fall within the definition of inactive waste. Figures are not available centrally on an annual basis.
Local authorities are responsible for meeting the cost of disposing of the 20 million tonnes of household waste produced each year. They are able to recover the cost of disposing of the 15 million tonnes of commercial waste from the producers of the waste. Assuming that the full amount of landfill tax is passed on to local authorities by landfill operators, the cost of disposing of the proportion of the 20 million tonnes of household waste that goes to landfill would increase by about £126 million. As the landfill tax and other policies in the Department's strategy for sustainable waste management will act as incentives to move away from landfill, we would expect this figure to fall over a period of time. Local authorities will also benefit from a reduction of 0.2 per cent. in the main rate of employer national insurance contributions in 1997-98, as part of the Government's policy of moving business taxation away from employment towards activities which damage the environment.
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A study published by the Department shows that in April 1993 the cost of landfilling domestic and commercial waste ranged from £5 to £30 per tonne. Prices varied according to the type of waste and the location of the landfill site. Prices have risen since then, partly as a result of the implementation of the more stringent licensing regime under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The price elasticity of demand for landfill depends on the suitability and availability of alternative waste management practices. This will vary to some extent across the country and between different types of waste. It will also vary over time as the practices of waste producers and handlers change to reflect policies contained in the waste strategy.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total increase in council tax bills in England and Wales forecast as a result of the introduction of the landfill levy, for each year from 1996 to 2000. [6824]
Sir Paul Beresford:
Levels of council tax will depend upon budget decisions taken by local authorities. The net amount attributable to the landfill tax will depend on authorities' waste disposal policies and on the effect of offsetting savings in employers' national insurance contributions.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of how the best practice programme will save 2 million tonnes of carbon emissions. [7324]
Mr. Clappison:
The energy efficiency best practice programme produces authoritative guidance on energy efficiency measures, promoted to industry, commerce and buildings professionals. It has a target of stimulating energy savings that, by the year 2000, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 5 million tonnes of carbon per year. Market research shows that the programme has already generated annual reductions of some 2 million tonnes of carbon, and that it is well on course to meet its target for 2000.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the energy efficiency programmes whose continuing effects are expected to contribute to reducing carbon emissions as stated in the progress report on carbon dioxide emissions, and the date that each programme (a) commenced and (b) finished or is expected to finish. [7331]
Mr. Clappison:
Of the many energy efficiency initiatives which predate the United Kingdom climate change programme, the principal ones--the energy efficiency best practice programme and the Government's work in promoting combined heat and power--began in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Both programmes are on-going.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what factors underlay the reduction in forecast carbon dioxide savings from energy efficiency
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measures in the progress report on carbon dioxide emissions published on 14 December; [7325]
(2) what conditions led to the increase in the forecast contained in the progress report on carbon dioxide emissions for savings in carbon dioxide emissions as a result of road fuel duty. [7355]
Mr. Clappison:
I refer the hon. Member to pages 23 and 24 of the report.
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