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Warm Front

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households are eligible for (a) Warm Front and (b) Warm Front Plus grants; and how many additional households qualify for assistance through the scheme as a result of working tax credit becoming a qualifying benefit. [131455]

Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) the impact of the Warm Front initiative and (b) the quality of the service it provides. [137314]

Mr. Bradshaw: In the past year, the NAO completed a report "Warm Front: Helping to Combat Fuel Poverty" looking at issues including the targeting, eligibility, measures and delivery of the scheme. An internal review looking at similar issues has also been completed by my Department.

The Department is also funding research looking at the health impacts of Warm Front. The Department will be considering the findings of these studies in the coming months as part of the development of Warm Front.

An independent quality assurance company carries out regular audits of the performance of the Warm Front scheme managers for the Department. This covers marketing, contact centre activity, surveyor activity, management of installers, checks on the quality of installed work, timelines for delivery of measures, scheme managers internal systems.

Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much was spent through the Warm Front schemes in each constituency in the last financial year; [133085]

(2) how many properties in each constituency have benefited from the (a) Warm Front and (b) Warm Front Plus schemes in the last five years; [133086]

(3) what estimate she has made of the number of households in each constituency who could benefit from the Warm Front scheme and who have yet to claim. [133087]

Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested will take some time to collate and I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Waste Management

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of whether proposals by Essex County Council for waste disposal comply with Government guidance and directives in respect of the recycling of waste; and if she will make a statement. [139385]

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Mr. Morley: We have not made any assessment of whether Essex County Council's proposals for waste disposal comply with Government guidance and directives in respect of the recycling of waste. That assessment is for Essex County Council to carry out as part of their waste strategy.

Essex County Council's recycling rate for 2001–02 was 21 per cent. Their Statutory Performance Standard for recycling and composting of household waste is set at 22 per cent. for 2003–04 and 33 per cent. for 2005–06.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultation she will undertake with local authorities in advance of the implementation of European Union directives on waste management. [139950]

Mr. Morley: The Government is committed to consulting relevant stakeholders on the implementation of European Union directives. This includes the Local Government Association and individual local authorities where appropriate.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made by the delivery team set up by her Department in May on the implementation of the sustainable waste delivery programme. [139951]

Mr. Morley: The Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) was established in May 2003 on the recommendation of the Strategy Unit Report 'Waste Not, Want Not', with funding committed until financial year 2005–06.

The Programme Director has been in post since June 2003. An external Steering Committee has been set-up, and its first two quarterly meetings have now taken place. Its five sub-programmes (Local Authority Support; Local Authority Funding; New Technologies; Data; Research) are now in place and have each produced impact trajectories and detailed delivery plans.

The programme has already distributed £140 million to Local Authorities for the delivery of 258 projects, and seven PFI schemes have been approved.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to increase her Department's (a) detection and (b) prosecution of illegal waste activities. [139952]

Mr. Morley: A range of measures have been included in the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill that will lead to more effective investigations and more successful prosecutions for illegal waste activities or fly-tipping offences.

The Bill also requires local authorities and the Environment Agency to submit data to the Secretary of State to help compile a national picture of the scale and extent of fly tipping.

The Government is also developing a comprehensive strategy for dealing with fly tipping which will be consulted on shortly.

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Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the money collected in fines by her Department for waste-related offences has been retained by her Department. [139953]

Mr. Morley: I will write to the hon. Member with this information shortly.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are being implemented to include schoolchildren in community recycling schemes. [139954]

Mr. Morley: Government is not implementing any specific measures to include school children in community recycling schemes.

Awareness of waste issues is covered in the school curriculum at various key stages. Government also provides Waste Watch with a grant of £232,000. £60,000 of this grant is used to fund waste awareness work in schools.

In addition, many local authorities support their recycling schemes with awareness campaigns. We do not have an assessment of the degree to which they involve school children.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the landfill tax to reach the rate of £35 per tonne. [139955]

Mr. Morley: I expect the landfill tax rate for active waste to reach £35 per tonne in the medium to long term, as announced by the Chancellor in his last Budget statement.

The rate was increased from £13 to £14 per tonne on 1 April 2003 and will be increased to £15 per tonne from 1 April 2004. The Chancellor announced that it will subsequently be increased by £3 in 2005–06 to £18 per tonne, and by at least £3 per tonne in the years thereafter, until it reaches £35 per tonne.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the regulatory guidance notes on end of life vehicle permitting will be issued to vehicle salvage and dismantling companies. [139956]

Mr. Morley: The guidance on Part VII and Schedule 5 of the End of Life Vehicle Regulations 2003 will be issued to vehicle salvage and dismantling companies on Friday 21 November.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made towards the target of 85 per cent. re-use and recovery by weight of end of life vehicles. [139957]

Mr. Morley: A recent study carried out for the Department by TRL Ltd., estimated that in 2000 approximately 77 per cent. of the weight of ELVs scrapped was already being reused, recovered and recycled. Legislation was introduced on the 3 November which means that End of Life Vehicles must be depolluted in line with the Directive requirements. We expect that additional components and materials will be recovered and recycled as a result of the depollution activities.

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Mr. Alan Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the availability of funding for the development of new technologies for waste management schemes. [139456]

Mr. Morley: I will write to the hon. Member with this information in due course.

Water Budget Payment Units

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in each region of England have water budget payment units. [140392]

Mr. Morley: The Water Industry Act 1999 ended the use of water budget payment units that cut off or restrict supplies to homes and other vital premises for non-payment of bills. Some companies allow customers to keep units with the disconnection element removed, but the Office of Water Services no longer collects the numbers installed.

Watercourse Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance the Government issue to drainage boards in relation to the removal of silt following the European Waste Framework Directive and the Nitrate Directive on watercourse maintenance after 2006. [140351]

Mr. Morley: Neither the Waste Framework Directive nor the Nitrates Directive apply to the removal of silt from watercourses. However, Waste Management Licensing Regulations (1994) control the application of dredged material to land and the Government have made use of their discretion under Article 11 of the Waste Framework Directive to provide licensing exemptions for dredgings from inland waters. Where dredgings are to be spread on agricultural land, and the land falls within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, the requirements of the NVZ Action Programme Regulations must also be observed.

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