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Illegal Waste

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action (a) has recently been taken and (b) is planned by her Department to tackle problems from (i) litter, (ii) flytipping, (iii) abandoned vehicles and (iv) other waste disposed by illegal means; and if she will make a statement. [64731]

Mr. Meacher: Last year I launched three litter initiatives: the £1 million Pathfinder Programme, which calls upon local authorities to come up with innovative ways of tackling litter; the development of a voluntary code of best environmental practice for the fast food industry; and a review of the litter legislation to see what is, and what is not working. The results of Pathfinder will be available this time next year; the fast food code of practice is currently being drafted; and the litter legislative review has been subsumed into the Government's public space cross-cutting review, which will report this autumn.

The responsibility for enforcing the legislation on fly tipping rests with the Environment Agency and local authorities. The Department fully supports the work and actions taken by these bodies in order to tackle the problem, including prosecutions where appropriate. The Department is currently looking at the legislative framework on fly tipping to see if any changes can be made to help local authorities and the Environment Agency in their role. The Environment Agency are also working to establish an environmental crime unit that will bear down on problems such as fly tipping through, among other things, improved intelligence and surveillance systems.

In October 2001 we published a joint consultation document with DTLR on measures to remove abandoned and untaxed vehicles from the streets more quickly and, for the longer term, bring forward changes to vehicle registration and licensing procedures to ensure greater accuracy of DVLA's vehicle record. Regulations to reduce the statutory notice periods after which local authorities can remove abandoned vehicles were laid before the House on 19 March and came into force on 9 April.

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The Environment Agency has strong existing powers available to take action against illegally deposited waste.

Human Behaviour and the Environment

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been conducted (a) by and (b) for (i) her Department, (ii) the Environment Agency and (iii) other Government bodies in relation to human behaviour and the environment; and if she will make a statement. [64739]

Mr. Meacher: DEFRA undertakes and commissions a large volume of research every year, some of which deals with issues of human behaviour and the environment. At any one time the Department is funding around 1500 research projects supporting around forty individual policy subject areas. Details of all ongoing DEFRA research projects and research results can now be found on the Department's searchable website at: http:// www.defra.gov.uk/research/default.htm. For example, the Domestic Noise Complaints Study published in 1999 can be found on the site. The results of the recent Noise Attitudes Survey (which was published by DEFRA on May 20 2002) will also be available on the site shortly.

In addition, the Department sponsors the Sustainable Development Research Network (website: http://www.sd-research.org.uk/ ), which aims to identify and promote research which integrates environmental, social and economic objectives.

The Environment Agency has completed numerous research projects on various aspects of human behaviour and the environment. A main focus of research to date has been to understand values and perceptions of the environmental business of the Agency, for example in relation to industry, nuclear waste management and water management. The specific themes covered by the research are:

public participation and involvement: a major project on Evaluating Methods for Public Participation has recently been completed; the Agency is also participating in a European research project on Enhancing Transparency and Public Participation in Nuclear Waste Management. A number of smaller projects have looked at issues such as information provision and public participation in specific decision-making contexts.

policy advocacy processes: a three-year project is being developed which looks at policy advocacy in different areas, such as waste.

partnership: as well as a number of local projects, a national project is being developed to equip staff to work better in partnerships with other stakeholders.

risk communication: research has explored public perceptions of environmental risks and approaches to risk communication, particularly in relation to risks related to industrial pollution and flooding; the Agency also participated in a major project with other government departments and agencies looking at the Social Amplification of Risk.

social impacts: a number of projects focusing on the impacts of flooding, including health impacts and impacts on vulnerable groups, are due to be completed this year;

understanding social perspectives on the environmental issues that concern the Agency: the perspectives of different stakeholders were explored in a recent project on Industrial Pollution Communication;

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social aspects of sustainable development: two projects on integrated appraisal (one on Appraisal Methods and one looking at integrated appraisal in the context of the Water Framework Directive) have contributed to knowledge in this sphere.

More information on some of these findings are available at "www.webookshop.com/ea/rdreport"

Additionally, the Agency has recently carried out a research study into people's behaviours and attitudes to household waste. This research showed that people would recycle more of their rubbish if it were made easier to do so by local councils. [Almost 9 out of 10 people claim that they would be likely to separate rubbish for recycling if the council provided appropriate containers]. Results were published in May this year and are available at "www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subect/waste/232021/ 239537/296229"

DEFRA does not collect or hold data on research undertaken or commissioned by other Government Departments on this issue.

EAGA

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the list of complaints that she has received from members on the performance of EAGA. [65019]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 27 June 2002]: Between June 2001 and May 2002 I received 111 representations from members regarding the performance of the Warm Front scheme in areas where EAGA is Scheme Manager. These representations cover areas such as delays to installation, communication issues and standards of workmanship.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Advisory Committee for the implementation of the directive on the reduction of the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels is next due to meet; whether any experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66436]

Mr. Meacher: Meetings of this Committee are held as and when required. The UK would usually be represented by an official from my Department but the precise representation would be decided in the light of the matters to be discussed. There have been no meetings of the Committee over the last 12 months, and we are not aware of any planned.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for the implementation of legislation on ambient air quality assessment and management is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66451]

Mr. Meacher: Meetings of this Committee are held as and when required. The UK would usually be represented by an official from my Department but the precise representation would be decided in the light of the matters

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to be discussed. There have been no meetings of the Committee over the last 12 months, and we are not aware of any planned.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the air quality values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66442]

Mr. Meacher: This part of directive 80/779/EEC on air quality limit values and guide values for sulphur dioxide and suspended particles has been repealed.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of the Directive on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66443]

Mr. Meacher: This part of directive 85/203/EEC on air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide as been repealed.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for the Adaptation to Technical Progress and the implementation of the directive on the control of volatile organic compound emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66461]

Mr. Meacher: Meetings of this committee are held as and when required. The UK would usually be represented by an official from my Department, but the precise representation would be decided in the light of the matters to be discussed. There have been no meetings of the committee over the last 12 months, and we are not aware of any planned.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee for the Adaptation to Scientific and Technical Progress of the directive on the limit value for lead in the air is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66429]

Mr. Meacher: This part of directive 82/884/EEC on a limit value for lead in the air has been repealed.

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