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15 Nov 2004 : Column 1022W—continued
Greyhound Racing
Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the regulations for greyhound racing in the draft Animal Welfare Bill are not proposed to be brought in until 2010. [196984]
Mr. Bradshaw: No final decision has been taken concerning the date when I anticipate introducing regulations for greyhound racing. I am currently consulting the industry on the extent and timing of proposed internal reforms. I will review the proposed regulation under the Bill in the light of the response from the industry.
The duty of care (welfare) and cruelty provision of the draft Bill will apply to greyhounds irrespective of the timing of secondary legislation on regulations.
Green Ministers
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Green Ministers her Department and its predecessors has had since 1997. [197676]
Mr. Morley: Defra was created in June 2001 from the then Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and from the environmental and countryside business areas of the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR).
There have been two Green Ministers in Defra since its formation and there were two Green Ministers from 1997 in both the DETR and MAFF as detailed in the table:
| Department | Green Ministers |
|---|---|
| MAFF | Jeff Rooker, Elliot Morley |
| DETR | Glenda Jackson, Beverley Hughes |
| Defra (since 2001) | Alun Michael, Lord Whitty |
Hazardous Waste (Substitute Fuels)
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the safety of burning hazardous waste in cement kilns. [196437]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 8 November 2004]: Cement kilns in England and Wales are regulated for environmental purposes by the Environment Agency under the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) system. Cement kilns that burn hazardous waste are subject to additional regulatory controls under the Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive and the new Waste Incineration Directive. Any PPC permit granted by the Agency includes conditions designed to ensure
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that the installation is operated in such a way that all the appropriate preventative measures are taken against pollution, in particular through the application of the best available techniques, and that no significant pollution is caused.
The Environment Agency's Substitute Fuels Protocol, originally published in 1999, sets out detailed consultation requirements for PPC permit applications by cement kiln operators wishing to use waste as substitute fuels. It also sets out detailed monitoring requirements and controls on the constituents of the substitute fuel.
The Environment Agency recently conducted a three-month public consultation on proposed revisions to the Substitute Fuels Protocol. The outcome was discussed at a meeting of the Environment Agency Board on 13 October and the Agency issued a News Release on the matter on 15 October.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list hazardous wastes that will newly qualify as substitute fuels for use in cement kilns following the changes to the Substitute Fuels Protocol approved by the Board of the Environment Agency on 13 October; and if she will list for each emissions level whether the listed wastes were disposed of in (a) cement kilns and (b) high temperature incinerators designed for hazardous waste disposal. [196438]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 8 November 2004]: Under the revised Substitute Fuels Protocol, the Environment Agency will no longer exclude pentachlorophenol or wastes derived from the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, biocides, pesticides and explosives from being incorporated into substitute fuel. In addition, any new waste, including hazardous waste, proposed as a substitute fuel in cement kilns will have to comply with the following criteria:
(ii) the amount of heat generated, recovered and effectively used is greater than the amount of heat consumed in its use; and
Given that the Agency's Board has only recently made its decision, the revised policy has not yet had an impact on the quantity of hazardous wastes recovered as fuel in cement kilns.
At present emission limit values for cement kilns that burn hazardous waste are calculated in accordance with a formula given in Annex II of Council Directive 94/67/EC of 16 December 1994 on the incineration of hazardous waste . The formula ensures that the fraction of gas produced by the incineration of hazardous waste in a cement kiln has the same emission limit values applied to it as it would have done had it been incinerated in a merchant waste incinerator. These emission limits are given in Article 7 of that Directive. However, the final emission limit values for a cement kiln also take into account the concentration of pollutants derived from the combustion of conventional fuels (e.g. coal, petroleum coke) and raw materials (e.g. limestone, clay) in the cement kiln.
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From 28 December 2005, Directive 94/67/EC will be superseded by Directive 2000/76/EC on the incineration of waste. Emission limit values for cement kilns burning hazardous waste will, as a minimum, be set according to Annex II of that Directive.
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the application of recent European Court of Justice judgements on trans-frontier shipment of wastes and criteria for waste recovery with regard to minimum calorific values for wastes that are incinerated as substitute fuels. [196439]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 8 November 2004]: Judgments by the European Court of Justice are binding on Member States and their "competent authorities". Recent judgments which impact on the transfrontier shipment of wastes and the classification of operations as recovery or disposal under waste legislation include the following cases: C-6/00, C-228/00, C-458/00 and C-116/01. In relation to the criteria to determine recovery or disposal status, the Court ruled in case C-116/01 that:
"The calorific value of waste which is to be combusted is not a relevant criterion for the purpose of determining whether that operation constitutes a disposal operation as referred to in point D10 of Annex MA to Directive 75/442, as amended . . . or a recovery operation as referred to in point R1 of Annex MB thereof. Member States may establish distinguishing criteria for that purpose provided that those criteria comply with those laid down in the Directive."
The Environment Agency are in the process of revising the substitute fuels protocol which will take account of the recent ECJ cases.
Hydrofluorocarbons
Mr. Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her policy on HFC emissions remains as set out in paragraph 19, Section Two, Chapter One of Climate Change—the UK Programme, of November 2000. [196256]
Mr. Morley: Yes, HFCs should only be used where other safe, technically feasible, cost effective and more environmentally acceptable alternatives do not exist.
Good progress has been made in developing effective measures to reduce HFC emissions. Political agreement to an EC Regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases, and a Directive amending Existing Vehicle Type Approval in relation to Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) in cars was reached in October 2004.
The Regulation includes measures on: containment through responsible handling during use, recycling and end-of-life recovery; reporting on quantities produced, supplied, used and emitted; certain application specific bans on use and placing on the market. The Directive includes a ban on the use of fluorinated gases with high Global Warming Potential (GWP) in MACs from 2011 (new vehicle types), and 2017 (all new vehicles).
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated volume of emissions of hydrofluorocarbons has been in each year since 1990; and what projections she has made for future years. [196817]
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Mr. Morley: This information is provided in the following table:
These figures are based on an AEA Technology report, Emissions and Projections of HFCs, PFCs and SF 6 in the UK and constituent countries 2nd Edition, June 2004. Defra has also commissioned from AEA a general review of any new information that may significantly affect the projected emissions for HFC, PFC and SF 6 to 2025.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons. [196818]
Mr. Morley: The UK policy on hydrofluorocarbons is set out in chapter one of "Climate Change, the UK Programme" ( November 2000).
In addition, political agreement to an EC Regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases, and a Directive amending Existing Vehicle Type Approval in relation to Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) in cars was reached in October 2004.
The Regulation introduces provisions for: containment through responsible handling during use, recycling and end-of-life recovery; reporting on quantities produced, supplied, used and emitted; and certain application specific bans on use and placing on the market.
The Directive will amend existing Vehicle Type Approval legislation in relation to Mobile-Air-Conditioning (MACs) in cars (and car derived vans). The proposal includes a ban on the use of fluorinated gases with a high Global Warming Potential in MACs from 2011 (new vehicle types), and 2017 (all new vehicles).
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to discourage the fitting of hydrofluorocarbons in (a) domestic refrigeration and (b) air conditioning. [196819]
Mr. Morley: Hydrofluorocarbon technology in domestic refrigerators has already largely been phased out in the EU. All major UK manufacturers of domestic refrigerators now use hydrocarbon based refrigerants. A small amount of imported domestic refrigeration equipment uses hydrofluorocarbons.
Political agreement to an EC Regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases, and a Directive amending Existing Vehicle Type Approval in relation to Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) in cars was reached in October 2004.
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The Regulation includes provisions for: containment through responsible handling during use, recycling and end-of-life recovery; reporting on quantities produced, supplied, used and emitted; and certain application specific bans on use and placing on the market. This requirement will cover the commercial refrigeration and air conditioning sectors.
The Directive will amend existing Vehicle Type Approval legislation in relation to Mobile Air Conditioning (MACs) in cars (and car derived vans). This proposal includes a ban on the use of fluorinated gases with high a Global Warming Potential in MACs from 2011 (new vehicle types), and 2017 (all new vehicles).
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