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Sustainable Development Summit

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what follow-up action has been taken since the Sustainable Development summit in Johannesburg; and if she will make a statement. [142041]

Mr. Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 1 September 2003, Official Report, column 845W, which noted that the Government would be presenting an overview of progress against commitments made at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). That progress report, which covers actions across Government, has now been published and is available at http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/eac-wssd/progress.htm

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Turkey Farms

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether any cases of the liver disease blackhead have been detected in commercial turkey farms in the UK this year; [143612]

(2) what measures her Department has taken to protect commercial turkey farmers from the liver disease blackhead. [143665]

Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 11 December 2003]: Blackhead is not a notifiable disease so it is not possible to provide an accurate figure for the number of cases. Of the cases diagnosed by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in 2003 most have been in back-yard turkey flocks of under 100 birds, with a very small number of turkey flocks of under 2,000 birds also affected. We are not aware of disease in any larger turkey flocks.

Following the recent withdrawal of the only remaining authorised medication for the treatment of birds infected with Blackhead, the UK is pressing the EU Commission to keep the disease situation under review with a view to adopting remedial measures if the disease risk increases significantly.

Good biosecurity is a key measure in the prevention of a number of poultry diseases including Blackhead. To reinforce this message, Defra has placed on its website guidance for poultry producers to minimise the risk of Blackhead. In addition VLA Regional Laboratories have circulated an update on blackhead including advice on control to veterinary practices.

Waste Management

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she plans to reduce spending pressures on local government in respect of waste next year, as announced in the statement by the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford), Official Report, 19 November 2003, column 786. [143316]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 10 December 2003]: We have announced that we are putting back the start date of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme to 2005. This is consistent with the views expressed by local authorities in the recent consultation on the implementation of the scheme. It will reduce spending pressures by around £10m overall.

The Department is looking urgently at the options for meeting the remainder of its commitment to relieve spending pressures, and will be making an announcement shortly.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department gave his constituent, Mr. Ross Donovan, in relation to his company's compliance with Directive 2000/76/EC on the Incineration of Waste when he first contacted her Department; when this advice changed; and what advice her Department is currently able to give. [143854]

Mr. Morley: The Department's first contact with Mr. Donovan, (who is the hon. Member's constituent and not the Secretary of State's) and his company was on 19 September 2003. Mr. Donovan had previously

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had discussions with the Environment Agency and attended a meeting at the Agency's Huntingdon office on 24 July 2003. During that meeting, Mr. Donovan was advised that there was a possibility that his plant would be subject to the Waste Incineration Directive and the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (the PPC Regulations). Following the meeting, this advice was confirmed in a letter to Mr. Donovan of 13 August 2003. The letter also stated that the plant may fall within the regulatory remit of the appropriate local authority in England and Wales or the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), depending on where the plant would be located.

Prior to transposition of the Waste Incineration Directive at the end of 2002 it was difficult for the Environment Agency to be able to provide firm advice to every operator on whether they would be subject to it However, my Department consulted on draft Regulations and Directions during the summer of 2002. The transposition of the Waste Incineration Directive and the publication by my Department of draft "Guidance on the Directive 2000/76/EC on the Incineration of Waste" was publicised through articles in the trade press and at a ministerial press conference in January 2003.

A group of my officials visited Mr. Donovan on 12 November 2003 to consider his case, at which time he was again advised that it was possible that his plant would be subject to the Waste Incineration Directive and the PPC Regulations. Following the visit and further consideration of Mr. Donovan's plant by my officials working with the Environment Agency, I will write to the hon. Member shortly with the outcome.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to ensure that the polluter pays principle applies to the (a) collection of and (b) management of municipal waste. [143281]

Mr. Morley: The Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC as amended by 91/156/EEC) sets out a range of measures on the management of waste—including its collection and disposal. These measures include Article 8 which requires that "any holder of waste has it handled by a private or public waste collector"; and Article 15 which provides that "In accordance with the 'polluter pays' principle, the cost of disposing of waste must be borne by the holder who has it handled by a waste collector."

The Government have put a range of measures in place under Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 to comply with the Directive's requirements. These measures include the arrangements for the collection and disposal of household waste by waste collection and disposal authorities. The cost of collection and disposal under these arrangements is met through taxation and charges. Most commercial and industrial waste is collected and disposed of by the private sector under arrangements which comply with the Directive. The cost of collection and disposal under these arrangement is met through charges.

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Municipal waste includes household waste and any other wastes collected by a waste collection authority or its agents under Part II of the 1990 Act (Waste Strategy 2000 page 198 (Cm 4693–2)).

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 local authorities had the (a) highest and (b) lowest recycling rates in the last year for which figures are available. [143282]

Mr. Morley: The percentage of household waste recycled and composted by the 10 highest and lowest performing local authorities, for which the most recent data available are 2001–02, is presented in the following table.

Local authority	Percentage of household waste recycled and composted in 2001–02
Daventry District Council	43.7
Lichfield District Council	32.8
Eastleigh Borough Council	29.5
Forest Heath District Council	29.2
St. Edmundsbury Borough Council	29.1
Dorset County Council	27.2
Chiltern District Council	26.8
Melton Borough Council	26.1
Bath and North East Somerset Council	24.9
New Forest District Council	23.6
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council	2.2
Liverpool City Council Metropolitan Borough Council	2.1
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council	2.0
Bolsover District Council	1.9
North Cornwall District Council	1.8
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council	1.6
Cannock Chase Council	1.6
Sunderland City Council	1.3
Hackney London Borough	1.2
London Corporation	0.1

⁽³⁾ Municipal Waste Management Survey 2001–02.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what high temperature incineration capacity she estimates the UK will require when provisions of the Landfill Directive relating to hazardous waste are implemented in the UK. [143283]

Mr. Morley: Current high temperature incineration capacity (HTI) in the UK is approximately 110,000 tonnes per annum. Work undertaken for the Hazardous Waste Forum suggests that the demand for HTI is likely to increase, but that the level of any increase is dependent on a number of factors, not least future arisings of hazardous waste. The Forum continues to keep these issues under review, in particular through the treatment and capacity task force.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional (a) recycling, (b) composting, (c) energy recovery and (d) hazardous waste treatment capacity will be required in England to achieve compliance with the Landfill Directive in (a) 2009, (b) 2013 and (c) 2020. [143284]

Mr. Morley: Waste Strategy 2000 provided five estimates of waste management options over the period 2000 to 2020. A 'base case' was modelled so that the additional cost of meeting the landfill targets for biodegradable waste and the waste strategy goals could

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be calculated. The other four models provided different mixes of recycling, composting and incineration and the additional capacity required for those facilities under each option.

Cases 3 and 4 (increasing levels of recycling and composting with some incineration with energy recovery) were designed to meet the waste strategy targets, as well as the requirements of the Landfill Directive.

The actual figures for additional capacity can be seen in annex C in Part Two of Waste Strategy 2000 (table C8 on page 194). A copy of the strategy is in the House of Common's Library and can also be accessed through the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/strategy/cm4693/index.htm.

Future hazardous waste treatment capacity required under the Landfill Directive depends in part on future arisings of hazardous waste. Currently some 5 million tonnes of hazardous waste is consigned each year in England and Wales. Analysis in support of the Hazardous Waste Forum shows that future arisings of hazardous waste will be affected, among other matters, by future levels of waste minimisation balanced against changes to the hazardous waste list. Nevertheless, the Landfill Directive requires all hazardous waste to be treated prior to landfill or to be dealt with in an alternative treatment option altogether, such as high temperature incineration or co-incineration. It is clear that new treatment plants for hazardous waste will be required, for example to solidify waste, and to enable hazardous waste to meet the landfill waste acceptance criteria under the Directive. The Hazardous Waste Forum is considering these issues and requirements in detail through its treatment and capacity task force.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of (a) glass, (b) paper, (c) wood, (d) plastic and (e) metal containers were recycled by community organisations in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002; what the average cost per tonne was; and if she will make a statement on how their performance was audited. [143286]

Mr. Morley: As part of Defra's Municipal Waste Management Survey, local authorities are asked to submit any data on recycling carried out by community organisations in their area, that they are aware of. The responses for 2000–01 and 2001–02 are shown in the table. The data are not believed to be comprehensive.

	Voluntary/private collections
Material recycled in thousand tonnes	2000–01	2001–02
Paper and card	24	13
Glass	1	1
Compost	1	1
Scrap metal and white goods	0	0
Textiles	4	1
Cans	0	0
Plastics	0	0
Co-mingled	2	4
Other (inc. oils, batteries, aluminium foil, books and shoes)	4	14
Total	35	34

The Community Recycling Network, a national umbrella organisation for community and not-for-profit waste management groups claims that their

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members account for approximately 7 per cent. of the total material collected from households for recycling in the UK.

This Department does not collect the requested cost data nor does it audit the performance of community waste organisations.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with representatives of the waste management sector on incorporating combined heat and power in new developments. [143287]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Department recognises that CHP has a part to play in effective waste management, as demonstrated in the recent changes to the criteria applied to waste PFI projects. These were in direct response to the views of the market and the waste management sector will be invited to contribute to a wider review of the criteria which is now in train.

We also provide direct support to energy from waste projects through our Community Energy programme, delivering community heating mainly through the use of CHP. Meetings with the waste management sector have resulted in five energy from waste schemes receiving more than £2.5m or over 10 per cent. of the funding awarded.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public money has been spent on collecting and managing municipal waste in the United Kingdom in each year since 1997; and how much on average it cost to collect and manage one tonne of municipal waste in the UK in each year since 1997. [143291]

Mr. Morley: Annual net current expenditure by English waste authorities for providing the services of collection and disposal of municipal waste are taken from annual ODPM Local Authority Revenue Outturn Returns. Annual municipal waste arisings are taken from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey.

The data are listed as follows are for the financial years 1997–98 to 2001–02 and are for English local authorities. An average net cost of managing one tonne of municipal waste has been estimated based on this data. Financial data exclude any capital charges.

Financial year	(a) Municipal waste arisings (thousand tonnes)	(b) Net current expenditure (£000)	(b/a) Cost to manage one tonne of municipal waste (£)
1997–98	25,711	1,198,880	46.63
1998–99	26,337	1,281,919	48.67
1999–2000	27,480	1,423,278	51.79
2000–01	28,057	1,521,338	54.22
2001–02	28,823	1,653,856	57.38

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances solid polychlorinated biphenyls can be (a) landfilled and (b) incinerated. [143506]

Mr. Morley: Wastes contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (RGBs) can only be landfilled where the authorisation allows it. Limit values apply to

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all deposits of PCB contaminated waste and are given in Government guidance (Waste Management Paper No 6—"Polychlorinated Biphenyls"). Additionally, implementation of the Landfill Directive will subject any solid PCB contaminated waste to the pre-treatment requirements and waste acceptance criteria.

Similarly, PCBs can be incinerated in hazardous waste incinerators which have been authorised to burn such wastes. These incinerators are required to meet the stringent emission limits specified in the Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive (94/67/EC).

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the rate of landfill tax is in other member states of the European Union where such a tax is levied. [143290]

Mr. Morley: The Strategy Unit Report 'Waste not, Want not' published in November 2002 contained the following table:

European Union state	Tax rates (£/tonne)
Austria	18–54
Belgium	3–14
Denmark	28
Finland	9
France	4
Germany	None
Greece	None
Ireland	None
Italy	0.6–16
Luxembourg	None
Netherlands	8–40
Portugal	None
Spain	None
Sweden	17
UK	2–13

Note:

Figures are approximate due to rounding. Figures represent the latest years available and may not be consistent between countries.

Sources:

OECD, ENDS and Austrian Federal Environment Agency, 2002

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