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Environment Agency
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he has taken in respect of potential conflicts of interests for members of the board
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of the Environment Agency who are professionally engaged in industries that must be licensed by the agency with particular reference to the chairman of Ready Mixed Concrete. [23775]
Mr. Clappison: The statutory requirements in respect of agency board members' interests are set out in schedule 1 to the Environment Act 1995. Agency board members were required by their terms of appointment to abide by the Department's general guidance on the declaration and registration of interests--both financial and non-financial--until the agency had drawn up and issued its own guidance. The agency is required to draw up a code of practice for its board members, based on the Government's general code of best practice for board members of public bodies, for approval by the Department. This will incorporate guidance on the declaration and registration of interests.
Hazardous Waste
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further action is needed to implement Council directive 91/689/EEC as amended by 94/31/EC, the hazardous waste directive. [24369]
Mr. Clappison: The Special Waste Regulations 1996 were laid before Parliament today and will come into force on 1 September 1996 and implement Council directive No. 91/689/EEC on hazardous waste as amended by Council directive 94/31/EC. These regulations replace the Control of Pollution (Special Waste) Regulations 1980.
The main provisions of the 1996 regulations are to:
The new regulations contain a number of deregulatory initiatives, designed to make the system easier to operate, while ensuring that special waste is soundly managed, and safely reaches appropriate facilities. Provisions include specific criteria for determining whether or not waste is special, to keep to a minimum the number of wastes which will be subject to these regulations, consistent with the overall aim of securing adequate levels of environmental protection.
These regulations also introduce fees, in line with the "polluter pays" principle, and to recover the costs incurred by the environment agencies for ensuring compliance with the regulations. A fee of £15 will be payable for most consignments. Consignments of automotive lead-acid batteries will attract a fee of £10 because they will be subject to lower levels of regulation.
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Public consultation was carried out in March 1995 on the proposed regulations and accompanying guidance. The regulations have been modified to reflect the concerns and interests of industry, regulators and the public in response to those consultations. The Government are satisfied that these regulations will continue to ensure the environmentally sound management of special waste movements within Great Britain.
Dame Peggy Fenner:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects the report from the inspector involved in the public inquiry on Kent county council's waste disposal plan to be available. [23430]
Mr. Robert B. Jones
[holding answer 29 March 1996]: The inspector's report on objections to the Kent waste local plan is expected to be issued to Kent county council in April 1996. It will be for the council to decide when to publish the report. I have asked the Planning Inspectorate's chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from D. E. John to Dame Peggy Fenner, dated 28 March 1996:
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the total annual cost to public funds of early-day motions. [23643]
Mr. Newton:
Her Majesty's Stationery Office estimates that the total cost to public funds of producing EDMs in the Official Report, for the Session 1994-95, was £1,868,000.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the average number of signatures added to early-day motions per week. [23642]
Mr. Newton:
The parliamentary on-line information service database records that, from 15 November 1995 until 26 March 1996, 28,842 signatures were added to EDMs over 77 sitting days, averaging 374.57 per day.
Mr. Derek Foster:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what outstanding loans HMSO has; and from what source these loans come; [23251]
(3) what service level agreements HMSO holds with other Government Departments; and which of these are due to expire during 1996; [23253]
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(4) on what date the HMSO 1996 accounts are expected to be published. [23256]
(5) what is the value of goods and services supplied by HMSO under the Ministry of Defence service level agreement. [23254]
Mr. Freeman:
As these are purely operational matters, I have asked the chief executive of HMSO to reply directly to the right hon. Member.
introduce new criteria for determining whether or not waste is special;
require pre-notification of movements to the Environment Agency by consignment note;
provide better descriptions of wastes and their associated hazards by means of a revised design for the consignment note;
simplify arrangements for repetitive movements and collection rounds;
ban mixing by carriers and consignees of categories of special wastes, and of special with non-special wastes, unless for safe disposal;
require periodic inspections by regulators of special waste producers; and
introduce fees for many consignments of special wastes.
The Secretary of State for the Environment has asked me to reply to your question about the Inspector's report on objections to the Kent Waste Local Plan.
The report is expected to be issued to Kent County Council in April 1996. It will be for the Council to decide when to publish it.
(2) what plans there are to extend or replace the HMSO service level agreement that is held with the Ministry of Defence; [23255]
| Customer | HMSO Business | Expiry date |
|---|---|---|
| Passport Agency | Security Print | 1999 |
| Benefits Agency | Security Print | 1998 |
| OPCS | Security Print | 1997 |
| Vehicle Inspectorate | Security Print | 1999 |
| National Savings | Security Print | 2000 |
| DSS | Print and Logistics | 1997 |
| IR | Print and Logistics | 1997 |
| UKPA | Print and Logistics | 1996 |
| F&CO | Print and Logistics | 1996 |
| DNS | London Print | 1998 |
| MOD | Norwich Print | 1998 |
| MOD | Office Supplies | 1998 |
| DSS | Office Supplies | 1996 |
| IR | Office Supplies | 1998 |
| Home Office | Office Supplies | 1997 |
| C&E | Office Supplies | 1997 |
| LCD | Office Supplies | 1996 |
| Emp. & Ed | Office Supplies | 1997 |
| Environment | Office Supplies | 1997 |
| Scottish Office | Scotland | 1997 |
| GPS/NI | Northern Ireland | 1997 |
| DENI | Northern Ireland | 1996 |
| IR | Business Systems | 1997 |
| DSS | Business Systems | 1996 |
| DVLA | Business Systems | 1997 |
Mr. Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the House will be given full details of the information memorandum related to the proposed sale of HMSO. [23257]
Mr. Freeman: The information memorandum is a commercially sensitive document to which access is carefully controlled in order to protect HMSO's business and the interests of the Government in the sale process. I do not intend therefore to make the information memorandum generally available. However, in accordance with the undertaking which I gave to the
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Finance and Services Select Committee when I appeared before it on 21 November 1995, I shall provide the information memorandum to the Committee Clerk.
Mr. Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what leasehold and freehold properties are to be included with the proposed sale of HMSO. [23252]
Mr. Freeman: The intention is that all freehold and leasehold properties occupied by HMSO at the time of the sale, with the exception of suite B, St. Clement's house, should be included with the proposed sale.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer of 26 February, Official Report, column 328, what was the cost of printing and distribution for the two booklets "Getting a Good Deal in Europe" and "Checking the Cost of Regulation"; and when he intends to distribute the remaining copies of these publications. [23640]
Mr. Freeman: The cost of printing the two booklets was:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| "Getting a good deal in Europe . . . Deregulatory Principles in Practice" | 8,062 |
| "Checking the Cost of Regulation: A Guide to Compliance Cost Assessment" | 8,666 |
The costs of distribution are not separately identified.
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