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Sir Keith Speed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has so far been made by the interdepartmental committee on compensation for property affected by rail and road schemes. [2000]
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many submissions he has received on the consultation paper on blight arising from major infrastructure projects; [5238]
Sir Paul Beresford: I have today placed in the Library a copy of the progress report of the interdepartmental working group on blight.
This group, which was set up in March, published a discussion paper in June. Sixty-one responses were received. A sub-group held discussions with officials in France, Germany and the Netherlands, and further briefing was received in respect of Belgium, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, the USA and Japan.
The Halifax building society has been invited to undertake a study into trends in property prices in areas which have experienced major infrastructure developments. Work on this study is in hand. A further study, commissioned in October 1995, into the operation of compulsory purchase procedures concludes this month. The group will be considering the final report of this study to see how its findings might inform the group's own work.
The group is now considering a range of options for changes to law and practice. Their consideration will include an assessment both of direct costs of implementing change, and of the wider implications for compulsory acquisition and compensation. I have asked that the final report should be submitted as early as possible in the new year. Any changes which we might propose to existing law and practice would be subject to consultation in the usual way.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the ways in which his Department has (a) demonstrated by example and (b) promoted externally, the ability to improve efficiency and competitiveness through environmental auditing; and if he will make a statement. [4492]
Mr. Clappison:
My Department is the lead Department for ensuring that Government policies and programmes, including its own, take proper account of environmental concerns, in accordance with the 1990 environment White Paper, "This Common Inheritance", and "Sustainable Development: the UK Strategy", published in 1994.
To this end, the Government have made a repeated commitment in successive White Paper annual reports to subject their policies to environmental appraisal. In 1991, the Department published "Policy Appraisal and the Environment", which gives extensive guidance on how to
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integrate environmental considerations into Government policy assessments. Green Ministers recently reaffirmed the need for all Departments to have adequate systems to ensure that the environmental implications of their policies were properly considered. Consultants are evaluating Government Departments' experiences with the guide and will report early next year. Green Ministers intend to publish a booklet of case studies in the new year, showing good examples of environmental appraisal in Departments.
My Department aims continually to reduce the impact of its own activities on the environment and to improve the management of its own resources. Its management audit services division has been trained to undertake environmental audits and has, for example, recently examined management and waste issues as part of the Department's strategy to reduce waste by 15 per cent. over two years.
Another of the Department's published objectives is to reduce the environmental impact of its buildings, where practicable, by undertaking objective assessments using BREEAM--the Building Research Establishment's environmental assessment method. Preliminary assessments of the Department's two new headquarters buildings--Eland house and Ashdown house in central London--have been carried out. As a result, the designs incorporate features such as the use of energy-efficient double-glazed panels, specially treated to reflect heat back into the building; displacement ventilation with static cooling and heating; combined heat and power systems, which use less gas and use waste heat to supply hot water, space heating and power for the cooling system; efficient boilers, with low nitrogen dioxide burners for supplementary heating; heat exchangers and heat exhaust recovery to avoid the loss of energy to the atmosphere in cooling towers.
My Department supports the use of BREEAM across the wider Government estate and green Ministers agreed recently that all Departments should use the BREEAM system when commissioning new or substantial refurbishment of existing ones. My Department has also commissioned the Environment Agency to produce do it yourself environmental performance checklist for premises managers on the Government estate, which will help to promote further improvement in the use of energy, water and other resources, in reducing waste and saving money.
My Department has been active in promoting environmental management and auditing more widely. As the United Kingdom competent body for administering the EC eco-management and audit scheme--EMAS--the Department has for the last two years promoted the scheme widely to industry--through national advertising campaigns and regional events; by publishing guides about the scheme and how it operates; by producing information videos and regular newsletters; through direct mailing to business; and by the introduction of a grant--Small company environmental energy management scheme--to help smaller businesses participate in the scheme. The UK has also led the way in promoting EMAS by introducing the first national extension of the scheme, now a fully operational version in the local government sector. My Department is conducting an exercise to test the feasibility of applying EMAS in a pilot area of housing policy and programme expenditure.
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The Government strongly encourage the take-up of EMAS by business because the scheme provides a rigorous but voluntary framework for managing, improving and reporting publicly on environmental performance. The scheme is also proving to be an effective tool for improving efficiency and competitiveness. Case studies, based on the first industrial sites registered under EMAS, and which demonstrate the environmental and business benefits of the scheme, will be published shortly.
In partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, my Department sponsors the environmental technology best practice programme to promote better environmental practices that help to reduce business costs for UK industry and commerce. The programme disseminates information and advice on environmental technologies and techniques, including the benefits of implementing environmental management systems and audits. Examples of best practice are promoted throughout industry by means of environmental performance guides, best practice case studies and guides, workshops, seminars and other events.
In promoting EMAS, my Department has also encouraged take-up of the complementary British industry standard for environmental management systems, BS 7750. This was the first standard of its kind in the world, coinciding with the development of EMAS, and it has contributed greatly to the agreement of a new international standard, ISO 14001, which will be replacing national standards and will provide industry with a convenient route towards EMAS registration. I am delighted that my Department's own office services division has recently been awarded a certificate of compliance with both BS 7750 and ISO 14001 for its environmental management system--the first award to a central Government Department.
Mr. Meacher:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the report on the proposal in the European Parliament for a council directive amending directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, A4-0343/96. [4723]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The common position adopted by the European Council of Ministers on a directive amending directive 85/337/EEC will greatly improve the consistency and quality of decision making within the European Community. It is now for the European Commission to consider the report and put forward an opinion to the Council.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what caused the release into the atmosphere of material being processed at Solrec at Heysham; and what action he has taken to prevent a recurrence. [4714]
Mr. Clappison:
On 19 August 1996 there was an unauthorised release from the process for the application of steam distillation to produce solid residues at Solrec in Heysham. This process is used for solvent recovery. The unauthorised release was caused by a runaway exothermic
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reaction in a vessel, which caused pressure to build up in the vessel, resulting in a controlled release via a safety device.
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