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17 Mar 2003 : Column 503W—continued
GM Crops
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs against what criteria the outcome of the public debate on genetically modified crops will be judged. [103053]
Mr. Meacher: The Government will judge the outcome of the public debate on the opportunities that it has presented people to gain a fuller understanding of the wider issues surrounding genetic modification and to reach their own judgement. The Government set up an independent public debate steering board that announced its own indicators against which it would assess the success of the debate. These include the extent to which people felt they were able to participate, their awareness of the debate, whether it was credible and innovative, and whether it improved the present understanding of public views.
GMOs
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to prepare draft legislation on (a) health, (b) environmental and (c) economic liability arising from the release of GMOs. [103052]
Mr. Meacher: The European Commission has issued proposals, which are being considered by the Council and the European Parliament, for an EU environmental liability regime covering the release of GMOs. This focuses on potential damage to biodiversity. The Government will consider whether domestic rules on GMO liability might be needed after it is has received a report due this summer from the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission.
Greenhouse Gas
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the form of methane from disused coal mines; and what estimate she has made of the cost of tackling such pollution. [102069]
Mr. Meacher: As yet there is no reliable measure of the amount of methane escaping from disused coal mines. Current estimates vary from 0.3 per cent. to 2 per cent. of UK greenhouse gas emissions. My Department, in consultation with the industry, have commissioned an independent study to provide an accurate estimate of methane emissions from this source which will report in two years time.
Defra supported the coal mine methane industry in its application for exemption from the climate change levy. This application was successful, and secured for the industry an 80 per cent. discount on the levy subject to state aid approval from the European Commission. This will improve the viability of the industry.
Since the launch of the UK emissions trading scheme in April 2002 Defra has worked with the industry to overcome obstacles to their entry into the scheme. Defra is also engaging with the European Commission on their proposal for extending the EU emissions trading scheme
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to include a project mechanism in due course, which may allow credits to be claimed for coal mine methane projects.
The Government consider that extending the renewables obligation to include coal mine methane would not be consistent with the objectives of the obligation, since coal mine methane is, self-evidently, not a renewable. However, we are very supportive of this industry and are keen to help it expand so that it can continue to reduce emissions throughout the UK.
Until there is an accurate estimate of what is actually being emitted from disused mines in the UK, it is not possible to make an accurate estimate of the cost of tackling the issue.
Nappies
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the total (a) energy, (b) resource use, (c) volume of waste and (d) water use; from (i) a real nappy and (ii) a disposable nappy; and if she will make an assessment of their overall relative environmental impacts. [99246]
Mr. Meacher: The environmental impact of disposable nappies is adverse; however we don't at present have quantifiable data on this.
The Environment Agency is currently carrying out a life cycle analysis which compares the environmental impact of re-usable and disposable nappies and clarifies information already contained in the existing life cycle analysis. We expect the work to be completed in early summer.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of (a) how many disposable nappies would be used if all those who used real nappies were to switch to the use of disposable nappies and (b) the overall environmental impact of such a change. [99248]
Mr. Meacher: Assuming that 10 per cent. of parents use re-usable nappies (current estimates give a figure of 5 per cent. to 15 per cent.), a switch to disposable nappies is estimated to lead to a 0.2 per cent. to 0.3 per cent. increase in the proportion of the municipal waste stream constituted by nappies. This would increase the current level from 2 per cent. to 3 per cent. to approximately 2.2 per cent. to 3.3 per cent., and worsen the overall environmental impact, although the effects cannot at present be quantified.
The Environment Agency is currently carrying out a life cycle analysis which compares the environmental impact of re-usable and disposal nappies and clarifies information already contained in existing life cycle analysis. We expect the work will be completed in the early summer.
Ruddy Ducks
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost is of her Department's plans to reduce the numbers of the ruddy duck. [102339]
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Margaret Beckett: The Department has completed the ruddy duck control trial and will spend an additional £100,000 this financial year on research work into refining control methods for the ruddy duck. Further research will be undertaken in 2003–04. Final decisions have not yet been taken on the allocation of the research budget, but the expected expenditure is around £¼ million. We also propose to participate in a white-headed duck workshop to be held later this year in Morocco. The workshop will consider various control methods used on ruddy ducks throughout Europe and North Africa. Expenditure in future years has not been decided.
Secondments
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the reply of 11 March, Official Report, column 150W, on secondments, if she will list the NGOs who have seconded staff to her Department. [103438]
Alun Michael: [pursuant to his answer, 11 March 2003, Official Report, column 150W], the NGOs concerned are:
- Chemical Industrial Association
Envirowise
Forum for the Future
Groundwork
Global to Local
Imperial College
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2)
Tidy Britain Group (Environmental Campaigns)
TXU Warm Front
Warwick University
World Wildlife Fund (2)
Tyres
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the environmental impact of (a) retread and (b) new tyres, using a life-cycle analysis approach. [99235]
Mr. Meacher: In 2001, BLIC (the liaison office of the European rubber industry) produced a life cycle analysis of car tyres. The report did not specify the environmental load of retreaded tyres, but did highlight the importance of rolling resistance as a factor in determining its benefits.
Retreaded tyres, nevertheless, would seem to offer a number of advantages as an end-of-life recovery option because of the reduced requirement for raw materials in their manufacture, as compared with new tyres, and by
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providing the tyre with another life, thereby reducing the numbers of new tyres needed, and subsequently requiring disposal.
The Department of Trade and Industry has recently commissioned a further study to examine the environmental credentials of tyre retreading.
Waste Management
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the Government's policy is on building new (a) incinerators and (b) waste to energy plants; [100475]
- (2) what guidance she has issued to local authorities about building new (a) incinerators and (b) waste to energy plants; [100476]
(3) what percentage of UK waste the Government expect to dispose of through (a) incinerators and (b) waste to energy plants in the next five years. [100474]
Mr. Meacher: Waste Strategy 2000 (Cm4693–2) sets out our policies for sustainable waste management and the steps to achieving them. Minimising waste production and maximising re-use and recycling of waste are central to that policy.
Our policy on municipal waste incinerators or other energy from waste facilities is that they should only be considered where it can be shown that they are appropriately sized so that they would not "crowd out" recycling. They should also include, wherever possible, combined heat and power systems which produce electricity and provide effective heating for homes and businesses.
The Government have no plans for the number of incinerators or other energy from waste facilities that local authorities should provide, nor are there any targets for the production of energy from waste. The Regulatory Impact Assessment of Waste Strategy 2000 (published in Annex C of Part 2 of the strategy) assessed a variety of waste management scenarios and provided broad ranges for numbers of required facilities. Variables included different projections for waste growth, different mixes of waste management facilities, and differing levels of participation in recycling schemes. A similar exercise was carried out by the Strategy Unit and published in their report "Waste not, Want not" in November last year.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the self-reported breaches of emissions regulations by waste incinerator operators for (a) 2001 and (b) 2002. [102204]
Mr. Meacher: The numbers of breaches of emission limits recorded by the Environment Agency for municipal waste incinerators in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002 are shown in the table.
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| 1 January to 31 December 2002 | HCI | SO2 | NOx | CO | PM | Cd and TI | Hg | Other Metals(3) | HF | Dioxins | VOCs | NH3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dudley (MES) | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Wolverhampton (MES)(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Billingham (SITA) | 2 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Coventry (C and S WDC)(4) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Tyseley (Onyx) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nottingham (WRE)(4) | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Sheffield (Onyx)(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Stoke (MES)(3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Edmonton (LW) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Lewisham (Onyx SELCHP) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bolton (GMW) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Huddersfield(SITA)(4),(5) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| TOTAL | 23 | 16 | 8 | 47 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 105 |
Notes
(1) Antimony, arsenic, lead, chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, vanadium and their compounds taken together in total
(2) VOC and ammonia breaches recording commenced in 2002
(3) 1 January to 30 September 2002
(4) January to 30 June 2002
(5) Commenced operation in 2002
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where (a) incinerators and (b) waste to energy plant, feature in the Government's waste hierarchy. [100692]
Mr. Meacher: The waste hierarchy, in Waste Strategy 2000 (Cm 4693–1) sets out the order in which options for waste management should be considered based on environmental impact. Following the hierarchy the best option is reduction (waste minimisation) followed in order by re-use, recycling, composting, energy recovery, and disposal.
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