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Mr. Heald: Will there be an opportunity to see how the Bill operates with regard to off-licences, and the impact on internet sales, before the proposed licensing Bill comes before the House? I think the Minister said that the Bill will change the law two or three years ahead of the likely date at which the licensing Bill will become law. Is that right? Will there be a gap of a year or 18 months in which we can see how this Bill operates before the licensing Bill comes before the House?
Mr. O'Brien: There will inevitably be a gap. I hope that this Bill will become law fairly shortly, that there will be a period during which we can assess how it operates, and that we will then be able to consider the issues that arise from that and from the White Paper. Consultation
on the White Paper is taking place. When parliamentary time allows, we will consider introducing legislation. The hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire knows from his own experience of government that those issues, and the timing, will have to be discussed in government.
Mr. O'Brien: I am afraid that I cannot give much more information about the timing. The hon. Gentleman will also know from his experience of government that it is likely to be a year at the earliest before we produce any legislation. We will want to allow some time for the phasing in, and there will be transitional provisions for the adoption of the administrative changes that the White Paper proposes. We will need a reasonable lead-in period. I suspect that the hon. Gentleman wants to pin me down on the timing, but I am unable to assist him, except to say that consultation is taking place, and there will be an opportunity for the operation of this Bill, if it is made law as I expect it will be, to be considered in the context of that consultation. We will introduce legislation in due course.
Mr. Heald: All we need to know is that there is no proposal to make the major reform of licensing, in the form of the licensing Bill, in the autumn. If that does not happen, we shall have time to see how the internet sales go.
Mr. O'Brien: The hon. Gentleman is quite right.
The right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst raised the subject of proposed new section 169F, which deals with knowingly delivering rather than selling. He asked whether it was likely that we would secure any convictions. I see no reason why we should not--if, indeed, that is where we experience a major problem. The
right hon. Gentleman is right to say that the provision is more indirect, but I can conceive of circumstances in which the section would be used--albeit, I hope, with decreasing frequency as we reduce the amount of offending. For all of us, that must be the hope.The right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border raised the issue of proof-of-age cards. The Department for Education and Employment is considering whether the youth card planned for those remaining in higher education can include a photograph and date of birth. We are awaiting the findings of the working party. The card is not intended to be a replacement for the Portman card as such. There are a number of cards, many of which do enormously valuable jobs. There is, for instance, a citizen card. We strongly support those initiatives, many of which have come from the industry.
The hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire referred to the fuelling of hooliganism by alcohol. That is a serious issue, which is being considered in the broad context of criminal law enforcement, and also in the context of the licensing review. The hon. Gentleman asked whether we should make a young person who seeks to obtain a proxy purchase liable. I would want to consider that in the context of the White Paper licensing review. I shall also bear in mind the issues raised by other hon. Members about the overall review of licensing law.
The Bill deserves the support of every Member, and I do not hesitate to give it our full backing.
Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.
WARM HOMES AND ENERGY CONSERVATION BILL
Order for consideration, as amended in the Standing Committee, read.
To be considered on Friday 21 July.
Recycled Content of Newsprint Bill
As amended in the Standing Committee, considered.
Clause 1
12.32 pm
Mr. David Chaytor (Bury, North): I beg to move amendment No. 26, in page 1, line 5, leave out--
'shall within one year of the passing of this Act'
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Alan Haselhurst): With this we may take the following amendments: No. 11, in page 2, line 3, at end insert--
'and such environmental groups as he considers appropriate.'.
No. 25, in page 2, line 3, after "regulations", insert--
'including newsprint suppliers, newspaper publishers, retailers and consumer organisations.'
Mr. Chaytor: In the unavoidable absence of my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice), I am happy to move an amendment that he has promoted diligently during the last few months.
The amendments have important functions. Amendment No. 26 would simply remove the Secretary of State's statutory duty to implement the Bill's requirements, and make it a power. The Bill had its origins in discussions some three years ago, and appeared on the Order Paper last year. Throughout the intervening period, there has been lively discussion between the Government and representatives of the newspaper industry--both newspaper publishers and manufacturers of newsprint--about the potential for increasing the recycled content.
The industry's view has been that it could do more to increase recycled content. Both manufacturers and publishers have been aware of the huge and growing problem arising out of the nation's steady year-on-year consumption of newspapers, the increase in newspaper production, the increase in the size, volume and weight of the average newspaper and the lamentable failure of the previous Government to establish proper recycling schemes. Therefore, as each year goes by, we have been putting more and more newsprint into landfill.
Nevertheless, rather than be subject to legislation, the industry would prefer to have reached voluntary agreement. For a considerable time, negotiations have taken place on that voluntary agreement. I am delighted to say that, thanks to the efforts of my hon. Friend the Minister, such an agreement has been reached. That explains the logic of amendment No. 26, which will take away the statutory duty and introduce an enabling power.
Amendments Nos. 11 and 25 serve a related purpose. They would widen the consultation that would follow the making of regulations, ensuring that there was consultation not only with the industry--the purpose of amendment No. 25--but with environmental groups, the purpose of amendment No. 11.
In his unavoidable absence, I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle, who has diligently and tenaciously pursued the Bill throughout the parliamentary
Session; to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, North-West (Dr. Naysmith), who has published a Bill with a related purpose; and to the Minister and his officials in the Department for the determination with which they have advocated the causes supported by the Bill and for the fact that they have finally secured the voluntary agreement with the industry.The Bill's origins owe much to the work of Friends of the Earth, which has identified the importance of increasing our recycling targets. For the past three years, it has tenaciously supported the Bill in Parliament.
The issue is what happens if, by any chance, the voluntary agreement reached with the industry, which extends to targets for recycled content, but not for collection, does not succeed and is not implemented--there is scope in the agreement for a review at the end of 2001. I hope that the Minister will assure the House that, in the event--we hope that it is unlikely--that the voluntary agreement fails, the Government will be prepared to legislate.
Given that the voluntary agreement extends to recycled content, but does not contain targets for collection and recycling, I hope that the Minister will be able, in the light of the publication of the Government's waste strategy just two weeks ago, to reaffirm their commitment to fund properly the development of local authority recycling schemes.
It is now generally understood that the United Kingdom lags woefully behind other western European countries in terms of the proportion of household waste that is recycled. We know that we are many years behind and that there is much to be done. We know, too, that recycling schemes cannot be established without appropriate initial investment. Local authorities are the only organisations that are well placed to establish such schemes. It would therefore be extremely valuable if the Government could assure us that there will be adequate funding to meet their targets on increased recycling, particularly of newspapers and magazines.
I also hope that the Minister will assure us that, if the voluntary agreement proceeds, newspaper proprietors will label the recycled content of their newspapers. I think that some newspapers provide a general figure on the amount of British newsprint that is recycled, but that information is not terribly helpful. Consumers, and those who are concerned about the growing volume of waste that we are producing in Britain, need to know how much recycled material is used in individual newspapers.
It is perfectly possible to calculate that content in newspapers. Newsprint manufacturers know the precise figure, and newspaper publishers know precisely from whom they buy their newsprint. There is, therefore, no reason whatever why that information cannot be printed on the front page of all British newspapers and magazines. The information would give consumers the power, if they wish to use it, to choose between equivalent newspapers on the basis of recycled newsprint content.
I am not suggesting that those who are concerned about recycling will automatically switch their allegiance to The Daily Telegraph, for example, if it were to start using 100 per cent. recycled content. Nevertheless, hon. Members will appreciate the general point about consumer choice--which, on this issue, can be exercised only if that information is available.
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