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Waste Minimisation

Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress in establishing an office waste minimisation strategy for his Department, indicating the targets set. [24498]

Mr. Norris: The Department's property managers are to prepare local action plans and targets to minimise waste.

Computers

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the problem of non-recognition by computers of the year 2000 with regard to his Department's computers and those for which it is responsible. [24399]

Mr. Norris: The Department of Transport is participating in the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency initiative to address the issue and implications of the year 2000 for computers in the public sector.

European Driving Licence

Mr. Marlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what stage it was agreed that the European driving licence should include 12 gold stars; if it was agreed by majority voting; what was the United Kingdom's position; if the United Kingdom Government may incorporate a Union Jack in the United Kingdom format; and what provision there is for drivers who wish to maintain a licence not incorporating gold stars. [24281]

Mr. Norris: I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the proposed photocard licence, which will have the letters UK surrounded by the European logo of 12 stars. A common position on the draft directive providing for the photocard was adopted at the Transport Council on 7 to 8 December 1995, with United Kingdom support. The European logo makes licences easily recognisable throughout the EU and will be of assistance to the many drivers who drive abroad. There is no provision for driving licences to be issued in different formats, but we have no plans to call in current licences. There is scope for national symbols to be inserted on the photocard.

ENVIRONMENT

Cement Kiln Dust

Mr. Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much cement kiln dust from the Clitheroe cement works went to agricultural or related uses in 1993 and in each subsequent year; and what were the particular agricultural or related uses to which the dust was put. [23536]

Mr. Clappison: No kiln dust from the Clitheroe cement works went to agricultural or related uses during the period from 1993 to date.

3 Apr 1996 : Column: 233

Fly-tipping

Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make the enforcement of sections 33 and 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 a matter for local authorities with particular reference to control of fly-tipping. [24178]

Mr. Clappison: No authority is precluded from taking enforcement action under sections 33 or 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 where it has sufficient evidence to do so. However, the Environment Agency is a competent authority for the purposes of the amended EC framework directive on waste; the authority responsible for issuing waste management licences under section 35 of the 1990 Act; and the authority with which exemptions from licensing are registered. In the Department's view, therefore, the Environment Agency is the appropriate authority to take enforcement action where necessary under section 33 of the 1990 Act.

No authority has a specific duty to enforce the duty of care under section 34 of the 1990 Act. However, the effect of regulation 4 of the Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 is to require a person on whom the Environment Agency serves a notice to provide a copy of the written description of the waste and of the transfer note which those involved in the transfer of waste are required by regulation 3 to keep. The Department has no plans to amend regulation 4 of the 1991 regulations.

European Regional Development Fund

Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has established the cause of the delay experienced by applicants for European regional development fund grants in the west midlands; and what measures he will take to promote greater efficiency in the handling of applications for the 1997-99 programmes. [24179]

Sir Paul Beresford: In the west midlands objective 2 programme, a competitive entry of over 800 initial applications lead to a lengthy short-listing process. The requirement to secure additional information on the 240 full applications subsequently received then resulted in the process overall taking longer than anticipated.

Greater efficiency in the handling of applications in the 1997-99 programme will be achieved by more rigorous selection of only high-quality projects at the initial stage for subsequent detailed appraisal.

EDS Ltd.

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what savings to date have been made by his Department as a result of out-sourcing arrangements made with the EDS computer system; what assessment he has made of the equivalent costs for carrying out this work in-house; and if he will make a statement. [24226]

Sir Paul Beresford: My Department currently has no out-sourcing arrangements with the EDS computer system.

Green Belt Land (Waste Tipping)

Mr. Chris Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what powers he has to intervene in

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respect of local authority decisions not to refer to him decisions to tip large quantities of spoil on green belt land;[24249]

(2) what are the limits placed upon (a) the volume of waste which may be tipped on green belt land and (b) the period of time during which this may occur, if the ultimate use of the land is said to be for an appropriate use; and if he will make a statement. [24250]

(3) in what circumstances a local planning authority may authorise the tipping of waste on green belt land without the approval of the Secretary of State. [24252]

Sir Paul Beresford: Local authorities are required to determine on their individual merits planning applications for the tipping of waste on green belt land, its proposed after-use and the time scale involved by taking into account the provisions of the development plan and all other material considerations, including Government planning advice such as, in this case, planning policy guidance note 2: "Green Belts". The disposal of waste also requires a waste management licence from the Environment Agency.

Local authorities are required to notify the Secretary of State of any planning application which they do not intend to refuse and which will significantly prejudice the implementation of the development plan so that he can consider whether or not to call it in for his own determination. In addition, the Secretary of State has power to call in other applications, but in all instances he will do this only if in his view they give rise to planning issues of wider than local importance and then only if these issues warrant a decision by him rather than by the local authority.

Mr. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy with regard to the tipping of waste on green belt land. [24251]

Sir Paul Beresford: The tipping of waste on green belt land is inappropriate development unless it maintains openness and does not conflict with the purposes of including land in the green belt. Further advice is given in paragraphs 1.5 and 3.12 of planning policy guidance note 2, "Green Belts".

Metal Recyclers

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has undertaken (a) a cost compliance assessment and (b) a small business litmus test of the proposals outlined in waste management planning as they apply to metal recyclers. [24462]

Mr. Clappison: My Department prepares compliance cost assessments in accordance with general Government guidelines, and they include a small business litmus test. The guidelines require a compliance cost assessment to be prepared for proposed legislation or when preparing statistical surveys which will involve business. "Waste management planning--principles and practice" sets out the way in which waste regulation authorities--now the Environment Agency--should collect information on wastes and waste management facilities and use it to promote integrated waste strategies, leading to more sustainable waste management. It gives non-statutory guidance on the way surveys should be carried out, but

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does not constitute the preparation of a survey. Accordingly, no compliance cost assessment was deemed to be necessary for this document.

Local Government Finance

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce his capping principles for 1996-97 and the list of authorities which he intends to designate. [24785]

Mr. Gummer: My capping principles for 1996-97 are as follows:

(i) Unitary authorities and county councils will be able to increase their budget requirement by 3 per cent. or the increase in their education, personal social services and fire standard spending assessments, whichever is the greater.


(ii) Metropolitan districts outer London boroughs and fire and civil defence authorities, including London, will be able to increase their budget requirement by 2 per cent. or the increase in their education, PSS and/or fire SSAs, as appropriate, whichever is the greater.


(iii) Inner London boroughs will be able to increase their budget requirement by 1.5 per cent. or the increase in their education, PSS and fire SSAs, whichever is the greater.


(iv) Shire districts will be able to increase their budget requirement by 0.5 per cent.


(v) Police authorities will be able to increase their budget requirement by 3.5 per cent. or the increase in their police SSA, whichever is the greater.



Authorities budgeting more than 12.5 per cent. above SSA are subject to a cash freeze.
There is a general proviso that no authority is to be designated if its budget requirement is £10,000 or less above the limit implied by these principles.

In accordance with sections 54 and 56 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, I have decided to designate the following authorities. The amount given after each authority is the amount which I am proposing should be the maximum amount calculated by each authority as its budget requirement for 1996-97.

	£ Million
Cambridgeshire County Council	402.590
Oxfordshire County Council	332.024
Essex County Council	974.218
Merseyside Fire and Civil Defence Authority	52.780
Greater Manchester Fire and Civil Defence Authority	76.958
Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority	37.444

Authorities which have been designated for council tax capping now have 28 days, starting today, in which to inform us whether or not they accept their proposed cap. Essex county council, Tyne and Wear fire and civil defence authority, Greater Manchester fire and civil defence authority and Merseyside fire and civil defence authority have been designated at the budgets they originally set and therefore do not have to reduce their budgets nor incur rebilling costs.

Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire have been designated at a lower level than they proposed. If they accept, the cap is confirmed by notice and the authorities can set a revised lower budget and lower council tax bills forthwith. If they challenge, they must propose an alternative amount together with their reasons for doing so. At this stage, authorities have the opportunity to meet us to explain their

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case. Once we have considered all the available information, we shall propose final caps which will be included in an order, a draft of which is debated by the House of Commons. If the draft order is approved, final caps are set by notice and revised budgets and council tax levels must then be set by the authorities concerned.

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