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24 May 2004 : Column 1293W—continued

Pollution Licensing Regime

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the Environment Agency does not use the integrated pollution prevention and control licensing regime as a revenue stream. [174089]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency has powers under Section 41 of the Environment Act 1995 to charge for environmental licences, including pollution prevention and control permits. Charging schemes must be approved by the Secretary of State with the consent of the Treasury. Charging schemes have to be limited to the recovery of the amounts needed, taking one year with another, to recover the Environment Agency's costs of carrying out its regulatory functions.

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that charges for integrated pollution prevention and control licences are set at a reasonable level; and if she will make a statement. [174095]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency's Environmental Protection Operator and Pollution Risk Appraisal (EP OPRA) charging scheme is a risk based assessment system, which closely links regulatory effort to environmental risk. EP OPRA was approved by the Government after consultation with industry and is based on four elements: emissions, location, complexity and operator performance. The scheme allows the Agency to recover the costs of carrying out its statutory responsibilities under the Pollution Prevention and Control regime. In line with the "polluter pays principle", well run companies with low potential risk to the environment are charged less than poorly run ones with a high potential to pollute. The Agency must adhere to the Treasury's Fees and Charges Guide, which describes how charges for statutory services should be calculated. The Agency is due to publish a 'transparency document' shortly, which will provide more detail on
 
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the Agency's costs; this document will be subject to the approval of the Environment Protection Charges Review Group, which includes industry representatives.

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for    Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received about the proposed integrated pollution prevention and control licences governing ammonia levels and odour; and if she will make a statement. [174096]

Mr. Morley: Permits issued under the integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) system each relate to a specified industrial installation and must contain emission limits and other permit conditions in respect of any pollutant likely to be emitted in significant quantities from that installation. Both Defra and the Environment Agency are in regular contact with all the industry sectors covered by IPPC and with other stakeholders.

One industry sector in which ammonia and odour emissions will be significant is the intensive rearing of pigs and poultry. IPPC permits for that sector may incorporate "Standard Farming Installation Rules", based on the application of Best Available Techniques which are described in a reference document published by the European Commission and in national guidance.

The Environment Agency began a public consultation on an updated version of the Standard Farming Installation Rules on 12 May 2004. The responses to the consultation are due by 16 August 2004. The consultation document is available on the Environment Agency's website at: http://www.environment-agencv. gov.uk/yourenv/consultations/775300/7versi

Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what waste recycling levels were achieved by each European Union country in the last year for which records exist for each country. [174231]

Mr. Morley: Estimates for municipal recycling and composting rates for each available European Union country are listed in the table.
Municipal waste 2001

Percentage recycled or composted
Austria32.5
Belgium57.7
Denmark31.7
Finland25.0
France24.6
Germany53.0
Greece8.6
Ireland12.9
Italy24.4
Luxembourg35.8
Netherlands59.4
Portugal4.2
Spain28.4
Sweden39.4
United Kingdom12.7

These results are published on the Department's website. The full results can be found at: www. defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/waste/wrkf08.htm
 
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There may be some differences in definitions between countries.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities (a) met and (b) failed to meet the local authority recycling target. [174233]

Mr. Morley: Individual local authorities are required to meet Statutory Performance Standards for the recycling and composting of household waste in 2003–04 and 2005–06 only. The most recent data available, for 2002–03, show that 83 local authorities have already met or exceeded their 2003–04 target and six have met or exceeded their 2005–06 target.

The names of these local authorities have been placed in the Library of the House. We will not know whether the remaining local authorities have succeeded or failed against their 2003–04 targets until later this year.

Local authorities which met or exceeded their Statutory Performance Standards for 2003–04 or 2005–06 in 2002–03

Local authorities which met or exceeded their 2005–06 targets in 2002–03

Local authorities which have met or exceeded their 2003–04 targets in 2002–03


 
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Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action (a) has been taken and (b) is being considered against local authorities that fail to reach the waste recycling targets. [174234]

Mr. Morley: The Government have always said that they will take seriously any failures by local authorities to achieve their Statutory Performance Standards for recycling and composting for 2003–04 and 2005–06.

However our primary aim is to support local authorities in achieving the targets, and we have set up the Waste Implementation Programme in Defra to do exactly that.

We will not know whether local authorities have succeeded or failed against their 2003–04 targets until later this year. Once that information is available, and   where an authority has missed its target and demonstrates no commitment to improving its performance, the Government will consider using their formal intervention powers to drive improvement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 March 2004, Official Report, column 7205w, for further information on what action might be taken under my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's formal powers of intervention.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities bid for funds under the waste management recycling challenge in each round; and which have been successful. [174235]

Mr. Morley: The lists of local authorities that bid for funds under the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund in rounds 1 and 2, which cover in 2002–03 and 2003–04 respectively, have been placed in the Library of the House. The lists for round 3, covering 2004–05, will be placed in the Library of the House shortly.

Successful bids in all three rounds are also published on the Defra website and can be accessed via the following links:

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