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29 Jan 2004 : Column 491W—continued
Ivory
Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to ban the import of all ivory products; and if she will make a statement. [150962]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 28 January 2004]: The EU CITES Regulations, which implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in the European Union, already prohibit trade in products made from wild-taken elephant and narwhal ivory.
- (a) to control trade in all other ivory products, including pre- convention and antique specimens, by means of a permitting system; and
- (b) to suspend the issue of such permits where we consider, on the basis of scientific advice, that the trade would be detrimental to the conservation of the species in the wild.
Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of imports of mammoth ivory products in each of the last five years. [150960]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 28 January 2004]: Under the system of classification used by HM Customs and Excise for categorising UK trade in goods it is not possible to distinguish between mammoth ivory and other ivory. The value of UK imports of ivory were as follows:
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 20.6 |
| 1999 | 62.7 |
| 2000 | 0.7 |
| 2001 | 0.1 |
| 2002 | 2.7 |
| Jan-Nov 2003 | 63.5 |
Note:
Ivory is defined by commodity codes 0507 1000 (unworked) and 9601 1000 (worked) of the Combined Nomenclature.
Lead Content
Mr. Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 14 January, Official Report, column 737W, on lead content, what assessment she has made of the implications for the (a) treatment of cathode ray tubes as hazardous waste and (b) the cost of their disposal of the readiness with which the lead content leaches. [149452]
Mr. Morley: The draft study being finalised for Defra, referred to in my earlier answer, shows that the lead oxide paste which welds the face plate of a cathode ray tube to its funnel, is prone to leach. Lead bound up within the glass of the cathode ray tube does not leach very readily. Research conducted by the Defra sponsored Market Transformation Programme estimates the cost of disposal for an average television set, after it has been deposited at a public waste disposal facility, to be in the region often pounds.
Medicines/Pharmaceuticals
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many investigations the Environment Agency has undertaken in respect of sites licensed by the Drugs Inspectorate for disposal of medicines and pharmaceuticals. [150437]
Mr. Morley: The disposal of medicines is not licensed as such by the Home Office Drugs Inspectorate. However, the storage of controlled drugs at any site is subject to a Home Office Drugs Inspectorate licence.
The Environment Agency authorises processes for the destruction of wastes such as controlled drugs for disposal. It regularly inspects sites for conformity with the requirements of the authorisation, and investigations may be carried out where breaches of authorisations or other environmental legislation are believed to have taken place, and evidence may be sought in relation to enforcement action. One such major investigation has been carried out.
Additionally, other investigations may relate to technical matters, such as reasons for plant malfunctions, and are carried out as necessary in accordance with the Agency's inspection programmes.
Recycling
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what
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recommendations she has made to local authorities for recycling levels of (a) domestic refuse, (b) commercial refuse and (c) industrial refuse. [149957]
Mr. Morley: The Government have set statutory performance standards for local authorities in 2003–04 and 2005–06 for the recycling and composting of household waste. The targets are based on the amount of household waste recycled and composted in 1998–99 and require each authority, on average, to double its recycling and composting rate by 2003–04, and triple it by 2005–06.
Local authorities are not required by law to collect commercial and industrial waste but can do so if asked to by an occupier of premises in their area. The occupier is required to pay the local authority for this service. There is no obligation placed upon local authorities to recycle this waste and, if they do, it will not contribute to their statutory performance standards, which only cover household waste.
Commercial and industrial waste collected by local authorities does, however, fall within the definition of municipal waste and is therefore subject to the Landfill Directive requirements to reduce biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill. All waste disposed of in landfill site is also subject to the Landfill Tax. Both the announced increases in the Landfill Tax to raise it to £35 a tonne in the medium to long-term and the introduction of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme from 2005, to implement the Landfill Directive requirements, will encourage more recycling.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of (a) domestic refuse, (b) commercial refuse and (c) industrial refuse was recycled in (i) Brent, (ii) London and (iii) England in the last year for which records are available. [149958]
Mr. Morley: The information is as follows:
(a) The most recent year's figures for household waste are found in the Municipal Waste Management Survey for 2001–02.
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| London borough of Brent | 7 |
| London | 9.3 |
| England | 12.4 |
(b) and (c) The most recent year's figures for commercial waste and for industrial waste are found in the Strategic Waste Management Assessment 2000, published by the Environment Agency, relating to figures for 1998–99. The survey collected data from a sample of 20,000 businesses across England and Wales.
| Commercial waste | Industrial waste | |
|---|---|---|
| London borough of Brent | Not collected | Not collected |
| West London (including Brent) | 25.5 | 29.5 |
| Greater London | 30.6 | 37.6 |
| England | 22.5 | 34 |
29 Jan 2004 : Column 494W
US Vessels (Decommissioning)
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of the four ships from the US ghost fleet sent to the UK for decommissioning. [150029]
Mr. Morley: The four ships are currently being stored at Hartlepool. Conditions attached to the site's waste management licence prevent any dismantling work on the ships. The site is inspected by the Environment Agency on a fortnightly basis.
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what explanation she has received from (a) the US authorities and (b) the US Marine Administration on why warnings given by the Environment Agency on (i) 3 October 2003, (ii) 8 October 2003 and (iii) 10 October 2003 that the four ships from the US ghost fleet should not set out for the UK were not heeded. [150032]
Mr. Morley: Discussions with the US authorities and the US Marine Administration which occurred once the vessels had already left the US concentrated on securing the objectives of safety and environmental protection on the vessels. It was considered that temporary storage in Hartlepool best met those objectives. Consequently, no explanation in relation to warnings has been sought or given.
Warm Front
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households she estimates are eligible for assistance from her Department's Warm Front Scheme; and how many households qualify for the Warm Homes Plus element of the programme. [150085]
Mr. Morley: We are preparing estimates of the number of households currently eligible for assistance under Warm Front as part of the next spending round process.
In addition we will be producing an Implementation Plan on the action required to achieve targets and tackle fuel poverty.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Boxing Day Trading
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to introduce legislation prohibiting trading on Boxing Day. [149970]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 22 January 2004]: I have no plans to do so.
Employment Directive
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Employment Directive improves the work opportunities of older people from disadvantaged groups. [146429]
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Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 12 January 2004]: We shall bring legislation into force on 1 October 2006 under the Employment Directive outlawing age discrimination in employment and vocational training. Such legislation will improve the work opportunities of older people from all groups. Our consultation on proposals for this legislation ended in October 2003. We shall consult on draft regulations later this year. People who experience discrimination on other grounds will continue to be protected under the relevant current discrimination legislation.
In the meantime the Government encourages employers, through the Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment, and the Age Positive campaign, to adopt non-ageist approaches to recruitment, selection, training and development, promotion, redundancy and retirement.
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