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17 Jun 2003 : Column 191W—continued
Organic Farming
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many grants have been given to support organic farming in the UK in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) county and (b) the purpose for which the grant was given. [116931]
Mr. Morley: The table sets out by county in the years concerned the number of agreements with farmers in England in respect of aid under the Organic Farming Scheme to support conversion to organic farming. Aid paid elsewhere in the UK to support organic farming is the responsibility of the devolved Administrations and the Northern Ireland Department.
On 5 June 2003, I launched a modified Organic Farming Scheme which offers support to existing organic farmers, in order to encourage the continued management of organic land in an environmentally beneficial way, as well as supporting conversion to organic farming.
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OSPAR Commission
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she will take to ensure that the UK Strategy for Radioactive Discharges meets the commitments signed up to at the OSPAR Commission in July 1998. [116118]
Mr. Morley: The Government are satisfied that the OSPAR Commission is on target to achieve the reductions in radioactive discharges agreed in 1998. The UK Strategy describes the UK's contribution to achieving that target.
Ozone Depletion
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy under the terms of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, that developed countries' production allowance for chlorofluorocarbons for export to meet the basic domestic needs of developing countries should be further reduced below the percentages allowed in the Beijing Adjustment to the Protocol; and whether the UK will raise this issue as one to be advanced by the EC in this year's meeting of the parties to the Protocol. [117362]
Mr. Morley: Further to the answer given on 1 April 2003, Official Report, column 646W, I can report to the hon. Member that there have been further discussions on this issue between member states and the Commission. The UK is not persuaded that there is at present sufficient justification to propose amending the current reduction schedule under the Montreal Protocol. However we are keeping this situation under review in consultation with stakeholders.
Packaging
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions of companies there have been for failing to register under the terms of the packaging recovery note provisions for each month since January 1999. [117537]
Mr. Morley: Figures for prosecution of companies since January 1999 are as follows:
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All prosecutions have been undertaken by the Environment Agency of England and Wales with the exception of one in February 2003 that was carried out
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by Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). The Environmental Heritage Service (EHS) of Northern Ireland have no recorded prosecutions.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many companies have registered under the terms of the packaging recovery note provisions in each month since January 1999. [117538]
Mr. Morley: Figures for companies who have registered under the terms of the packaging recovery provisions are not available by month. Under the packaging Regulations, the deadline for registration is 7 April each year.
However, numbers of companies registered each year since January 1999 are as follows:
- 1999—4,250
2000—5,771
2001—6,060
2002—6,268
2003—6,222 (provisional figure)
Pitsea Tip
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports the Environment Agency used as the basis for their legal notice to the operators of Pitsea Tip under section 42 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; and if she will publish those reports. [118730]
Mr. Morley: Site inspection reports are produced at each routine site inspection. These identify compliance with conditions of the Waste Management Licence. They also highlight breaches of conditions with instructions/guidance on rectifying the relevant matters. Where these are not rectified within suitable timescales, or are more serious/complex breaches, a Notice can be served under section 42 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requiring compliance with conditions.
The site inspection reports are on the public register, which the Environment Agency holds.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring procedures have been undertaken by the Environment Agency in respect of Pitsea Tip; and what results have been achieved. [118731]
Mr. Morley: The site has a Waste Management Licence (WML). The WML has conditions requiring the operator, Cleanaway Ltd., to conduct monitoring of groundwater, surface water, leachate and landfill gas. This is done at prescribed frequencies in prescribed locations in and around the site.
The Environment Agency receives the analytical data and assesses it. The agency also conducts its own audit monitoring of the site to verify the data supplied by the operator. This data is on the public register which the Environment Agency holds.
Ambient air quality is not required by the licence and is not routinely carried out by the agency. Spot samples of odorous air were recently taken from the landfill site and analysed; health experts have confirmed that the results indicate the presence of constituents at levels
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which would not cause harm to human health. Further comprehensive air monitoring is presently being conducted by an independent consultant and a report is expected to be produced in the next week.
Private Finance Initiative (Waste Projects)
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the allocation of PFI credits for waste projects which has occurred, indicating in each case how much is intended for incineration related purposes. [114266]
Mr. Morley: The following table sets out the amount of PFI credits that have been allocated to local authority waste projects. The list includes cases that have been approved on the basis of final business cases—where preferred bidders have been selected and contracts have
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been signed. It also includes proposals that have been agreed at outline business case stage where a preferred bidder may not have been selected.
We do not hold centrally a breakdown of credit allocations between incineration and non-incineration elements. However, some indication is available from the volumes of waste that are dealt with by the proposal and the new incineration capacity that was assumed in the approval. These figures are shown in the table.
A proposal may be varied in the light of the market response following outline business case approval, in negotiations with preferred bidders and/or in the light of local planning decisions which may be made after contract signature. The Department is aware that at least one of the earlier approvals is likely to change significantly and in a way that reduces new incineration capacity, but we have yet to see revised proposals from the relevant local authority.
| Authority | Financial yearproject signed | Approvalstage | PFI credit allocation (£ million) | Total municipal waste dealt with (Tonnes per annum) | Incineration capacity included in project (Tonnes per annum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Wight(23) | 1997–98 | FBC | 13 | 37,000 | 0 |
| Herefordshire and Worcestershire(24) | 1998–99 | FBC | 57 | 347,000 | 94,000 |
| Kirklees(25) | 1998–99 | FBC | 33.9 | 233,500 | 123,000 |
| Surrey(26) | 1999–2000 | FBC | 85.5 | 555,000 | 400,000 |
| South Gloucestershire(27) | 2000–01 | FBC | 34.3 | 185,000 | 55,000 |
| ELWA(28) | 2002–03 | FBC | 47 | 530,000 | 0 |
| East Sussex, Brighton and Hove(28) | 2002–03 | FBC | 49 | 445,000 | 225,000 |
| Leicester City(28) | 2003–04 | FBC | 30.8 | 140,000 | 0 |
| Central Berkshire(29) | n/a | OBC | 37 | 464,000 | 0 |
| West Sussex(30) | n/a | OBC | 25 | 414,000 | 0 |
| Gloucestershire(29) | n/a | OBC | 25.105 | 223,475 | 0 |
(23) Latest (2002) data
(24) Final stage projections
(25) Latest 2002–03 estimates
(26) Incineration figures based on capacity—not necessarily all for municipal waste
(27) Final stage projections based on contract end estimates
(28) Final stage data
(29) Outline stage data
(30) Outline stage data. Civic Amenity Site solution
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