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15 Jun 2005 : Column 425W—continued
Hazardous Waste
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many convictions have been secured by the Environment Agency's for fly-tipping of hazardous waste since 16 July 2004. [3460]
Mr. Bradshaw:
There have been four such convictions since 16 July 2004. However, the Environment Agency follows the general principles set out in its Enforcement and Prosecutions Policy which means that preventive or
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remedial action is taken to protect the environment or to secure compliance with the regulatory system governing waste.
During July 2004 to April 2005 the agency dealt with 527 fly-tipping incidents involving asbestos or chemical drums/oil/fuel.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much hazardous waste was produced in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004; [3463]
(2) how many producers of hazardous waste there were in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004. [3464]
Mr. Bradshaw: The data derived from the Environment Agency special waste tracking system are as follows:
| Quantity of special waste produced (tonnes) | Number of hazardous waste producers | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5,196,000 | 117,420 |
| 2001 | 5,214,000 | 99,829 |
| 2002 | 5,058,000 | 91,194 |
| 2003 | 4,772,000 | 96,050 |
| 2004 | (20)— | 87,749 |
(20) Available in August 2005
Nappies
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the life cycle assessment on disposable and reusable nappies recently published by the Environment Agency, with particular reference to (a) the reusable nappy product sample used and (b) the methodology used to collect the consumer data; and if she will make a statement. [3130]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government consider that the Environment Agency's LCA is a useful piece of work. It nevertheless considers that further work should be carried out to look at the environmental impacts of the main re-usables in current use. The survey forming the basis of the LCA was carried out in 2002–03 and showed that terry nappies were the main type of reusable nappy used. 2004 sales data suggest that pre-fold nappies have overtaken terries with more than 50 per cent. of sales. So the LCA needs to be reassessed reflecting the environmental impacts of recent increases in the proportion of other types of reusable nappies. The Environment Agency has been asked to commission this further work.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policies she has to reduce the number of disposable nappies going to landfill. [3132]
Mr. Bradshaw:
The Government have tough targets to meet under the Landfill Directive to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill. The Government strategy to meet these targets includes measures to minimise the amount of waste. As part of this the Government are funding, through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a programme on reusable nappies.
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The aim of the WRAP programme is to convert 155,000 households to re-usable nappies by April 2006, thereby diverting 35,000 tonnes per annum of disposable nappy waste from landfill.
The WRAP programme includes making information available to parents, health care professions and other points of contact for parents e.g. nurseries. WRAP is also working to raise the profile of existing nappy laundering businesses and supporting the development of others.
Primates
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce a ban on the keeping of primates as pets. [4250]
Jim Knight:
We are looking carefully at this issue, and plan to go out to public consultation by the end of July to seek views on how powers under Article 8.2 of European Council Regulation 338/97 should be used in relation to the holding of specimens of certain exotic animals subject to control under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), including primates.
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Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in her Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade. [3533]
Jim Knight: The Race Relations (Amendment) Act (RRA) 2000 places a general duty on Government Departments to have regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial groups.
In line with the specific duties imposed the Department published a Race Equality Scheme which set out how the Department planned to meet the duties imposed; including those relating to training; The Department is committed to ensuring that its staff are properly trained so that they can make equality and diversity core issues to their work, whatever their area of responsibility. Specialist equal opportunities training for those working in areas which impacted directly on people was provided to 262 staff in the last financial year. The grade and ethnicity breakdown is as follows:
| White | Asian | Black | Mixed | Other | Unknown | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| G6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| G7 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 30 |
| SEO | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| HEO | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 48 |
| EO | 43 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 75 |
| AO | 47 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 77 |
| AA | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 19 |
| Total | 157 | 15 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 64 | 262 |
Training on issues relating to race, and other key equality areas are incorporated into a range of learning opportunities, including comprehensive information and guidance on the Departments internal website. The Diversity and Equality Unit have provided a number of presentations to Business Units (over 100 staff) and have used these to facilitate discussions on a number of equality issues. These included work required within business units to address the duties arising from the RRA and other equality legislation e.g. the impending duties relating to disability.
Specific training on the duties arising from the RRA delivered through an external consultant were provided to staff working in areas identified in the Race Equality Scheme as relevant to the RRA. The seminars provided an overview of the responsibilities arising from the RRA as well as guidance on mainstreaming race equality in policy development and in service delivery. Feedback from recent workshops which was specifically targeted at senior managers is currently being evaluated. It will be used to inform the work under way to review the Race Equality Scheme and future strategies for providing staff with the required training. Details of staff attending specific Race Relations training is as follows:
| White | Asian | Black | Mixed | Other | Unknown | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| G6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| G7 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| SEO | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 |
| HEO | 63 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 69 |
| EO | 36 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 99 |
| AO | 18 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 |
| AA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 186 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 247 |
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Currently the Department is unable to monitor comprehensively attendance at all training events. The new Human Resource database which was introduced in July 2004 should enable such monitoring in the future. However the module that will provide this functionality has not yet been rolled out. Data are therefore only available for courses which were organised centrally. As a result we are unable to provide details of attendees at locally organised events which were arranged by Business Units to provide staff with training on the specific duties arising within their work area, although we are aware of a number of such events. This information should be available in the future.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements are in place to ensure that bodies within the responsibility of her Department comply with the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. [3534]
Jim Knight:
The Race Relations (Amendment Act) 2000 places the general duty on a large number of specified public authorities. The core Department's Race Equality Scheme covers the Departments two smallest Executive Agencies, the Pesticides Safety Directorate and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
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The remaining Executive Agencies have produced Agency specific Schemes using the core Department's Scheme as a model. Annual progress reports are produced and the Schemes are discussed regularly as part of an ongoing review process.
In addition the Home Secretary has made Orders under the Act to place the 'specific duties' on named public authorities. These include a number of non-departmental public bodies for which Defra has responsibility in the following table. Although these Bodies are not required to produce a Race Equality Scheme they are expected to follow the lead of the core Department in addressing the general duties imposed. This list is updated periodically in consultation with the CRE and other Government departments and amended to take account of new Bodies and to delete defunct Bodies.
The Department's Race Equality Scheme is currently being reviewed and as part of this work we will be working closely with all bodies for which we have responsibility to ensure that due regard is taken of the duties imposed by the Act. The Commission for Racial Equality has reviewed the Race Equality Scheme and have commented favourably on a number of areas. Any areas highlighted as requiring additional action will be addressed as part of the current review of the Scheme.
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