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10 Feb 2003 : Column 746—continued

Mr. Meacher: I am very pleased to give that undertaking. My hon. Friend puts his finger on it: the difficulty is achieving co-operative working on an issue that he and I regard as extremely serious. Given the range of other duties and functions of the police and the Environment Agency, matters of this kind do not get the focused and targeted attention that is needed. There is a failure to achieve such joined-up activity, and I am pleased to do what I can to try to ensure that it is improved.

Finally, I shall refer to an issue, which, I think, my hon. Friend raised: whether the Environment Agency should be given more specific guidance about travellers. The Environment Agency is, of course, fully aware of its powers in relation to fly tipping, although it is well aware of the lack of powers to which I refer. In most cases, the local authority would deal with the majority of fly-tipping incidents involving illegal campers. Again, co-operation with local authorities, which varies across the country, is very important.

What are the Government doing to tackle the problem of fly tipping? As I have said, we are introducing powers to enable local authorities to check businesses' duty of care waste transfer notes—something that local authorities have wanted for a long time. Businesses should keep those notes whenever waste is transferred from one party to another. Enabling local authorities to check such documents should allow them to ensure that businesses are disposing of their waste correctly. Those powers will come into force on 20 February.

With regard to evicting travellers from illegal sites, there are already substantial powers—

The motion having been made after Ten o'clock, and the debate having continued for half an hour, Mr. Speaker adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Adjourned at fifteen minutes to Eleven o'clock.

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