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Waste Management

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received about the SBS system of aerobic degradation and municipal waste; and what responses he has made. [126764]

Mr. Meacher: I am not aware of any representations made to my Department about the application of the anaerobic Sludge Blanketing System to municipal waste.

Dioxins

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Mr. Loughton) of 24 May 2000, Official Report, column 539W, on dioxins, what levels of dioxins have been identified in the environment of East Sussex for each year since 1991; and if he will make a statement. [126261]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 19 June 2000]: The Government have made no measurements for dioxins specifically in the environment of East Sussex since 1991.

Telecommunications Masts

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Stewart Inquiry relating to planning regulations affecting mobile phone telecommunications masts. [127154]

Ms Beverley Hughes: In their response to the report of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, issued on 11 May 2000, the Government said that they

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were minded to introduce a requirement for full planning permission for all new telecommunications masts, but would need to consult widely before doing so, including on the purpose and precise scope of any new arrangements. We shall issue a consultation paper on this and related guidance as soon as practicable.

Greenhouse Gases

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the monitoring arrangements for levels of greenhouse gas production in the UK. [127147]

Mr. Meacher: My Department compiles and publishes an annual inventory of UK greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks to fulfil international reporting requirements of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the European Union Monitoring Mechanism. Separate greenhouse gas inventories are also published for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The inventories are produced according to guidelines published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and conform to internationally agreed good practice.

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for (a) Scotland, (b) England and Wales and (c) the UK the changes in the levels of production of the six greenhouse gases in each year since 1990; and what the forecast reduction is for the following 10 years. [127148]

Mr. Meacher: UK emissions of the "basket" of six greenhouse gases, weighted by their global warming potential (GWP), fell by 8.7 per cent. between 1990 and 1998. UK emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, fell by 7 per cent. over the same period. The changes in the levels of emissions of the six greenhouse gases in each year from 1990 to 1998 for the UK are given in Table 1. 1998 is the latest year for which we have complete data. Disaggregated data are only available for the years 1990 and 1995 for Scotland and England and Wales at present (Table 2) but data for 1998 will be available later this year.

Table 3 shows projected changes in UK emissions of the six greenhouse gases between 1990 (the baseline year for our climate change targets) and 2010, before the impact of the measures set out in the UK's draft climate change programme, published in March. There are currently no disaggregated projections for England and Wales and Scotland although my Department is funding a research contract to provide disaggregated projections of the non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases which will be available later this year.

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Table 1: UK Greenhouse gas emissions, percentage change on previous yearPercentage

Gas	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
CO 2	0.6	-2.4	-2.6	-0.5	-1.5	3.3	-4.4	0.4
CH 4	-1.4	-2.6	-10.0	-7.4	-0.9	-2.2	-3.2	-4.6
N 2 O	-2.8	-11.2	-6.6	8.8	-4.3	3.4	2.7	-4.2
HFCs	4.3	4.1	4.5	7.1	10.1	7.2	13.3	9.6
PFCs	-22.1	-48.7	-15.2	25.5	14.2	-17.8	-28.2	-1.7
SF 6	0.8	0.7	0.7	11.2	1.9	9.3	-2.0	0.5
Total GWP	0.1	-3.2	-3.5	-0.2	-1.4	2.9	-3.4	-0.1
Change on 1990 levels	0.1	-3.0	-6.5	-6.7	-8.0	-5.3	-8.5	-8.7

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Table 2: Greenhouse gas emissions for Scotland and England and Wales, percentage change from 1990 to 1995Percentage

Greenhouse Gas	Scotland	England and Wales
CO 2	0.5	-9
CH 4	-9.5	-23
N 2 O	-12.5	-17
HFCs	0	32
PFCs	100	-74
SF 6	0	53
Total GWP	-0.9	-10

Table 3: Projected greenhouse gas emissions for UK, percentage change from 1990 to 2010Percentage

Greenhouse Gas	UK
CO 2	-7
CH 4	-45
N 2 O	-35
HFCs	10
PFCs	-83
SF 6	35
Total GWP	-13

Countryside and Rights of Way Bill

Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the sources other than his Department's own legal service, from which he took legal advice with regard to the implications of the European Convention on Human Rights for the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill. [127314]

Mr. Mullin: It is not the practice of the Government to disclose the legal advice which they have received on any matter, nor the source of such advice.

Waterloo/Exeter Line

Mr. Ashdown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what reasons underlay the decision of the Franchising Director of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority concerning of the amount of notice given between the announcement of a possible new micro franchise on the Waterloo/Exeter rail line and the pre-qualification date for bidders; if he will instruct the Regulator to extend this deadline; and if he will make a statement. [126689]

Mr. Hill [holding answer 22 June 2000]: The Secretary of State has asked the Franchising Director to write to the right hon. Member explaining the history of this decision and the future proposals for both the Waterloo/Exeter railway line and replacement plans for South West Trains franchise and other franchise in the area. This letter will be placed in the Library.

Radioactive Waste

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will obtain from Greenpeace their evidence on radioactive waste in the Hurd Deep. [127567]

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Mr. Meacher: I am not aware of the video referred to. I expect Greenpeace will send me a copy if they consider it contains material of interest to my Department.

Land Reclamation

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission about its ruling on the investment of Government money in derelict land reclamation. [127570]

Ms Beverley Hughes: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 24 May 2000, Official Report, column 536W. My right hon. Friend, the Minister for Local Government and the Regions met Commissioner Monti on 2 March to discuss the problems we face in partnership working with the private sector in regeneration since the Commission's decision that the Partnership Investment Programme breached the state aid rules. These discussions continue at official level.

Cap de la Hague

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) of 7 June 2000, Official Report, column 244W, on Cap de la Hague, if he will request information from (a) the French nuclear authorities and (b) Greenpeace France on nuclear waste liquid discharges and atmospheric radioactive discharges from the Cap de la Hague nuclear waste processing site. [127612]

Mr. Meacher: The operators of the La Hague site, Cogema, regularly publish details of their liquid and aerial radioactive discharges. Such discharges are closely controlled by the French regulatory authority and comply with international limits for doses to the public. If there are specific reasons why my hon. Friend believes extra information is needed related to specific accidents I would be interested for my hon. Friend to let me know.

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