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16 Jun 2005 : Column 557W—continued

Endangered Species

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what programmes the Government sponsors to protect and encourage the breeding of endangered species. [4582]

Jim Knight: The Government are taking a wide range of measures to protect and conserve endangered species in this country and also internationally through mechanisms such as international conservation agreements and the Government's funding schemes (for example, the Darwin Initiative and FCO's Sustainable Development Global Opportunities Fund).

More specifically on breeding of endangered species, we are also taking measures. For example, the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) Kew, a non-departmental public body sponsored by Defra, carries out much important work, in support of the Convention on Biological Diversity. All living collections held at RBG Kew have undergone a conservation audit so that their endangered state is known and this material is available for propagation and reintroduction. RBG Kew assists governments to identify areas of floristic diversity which should be protected in countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Madagascar, Cameroon, Thailand and Brunei, and manages the Millennium Seed Bank Project which involves partnerships between 18 countries which seek to collect and conserve long-term, seed from 24,200 species. Seed of 96 per cent. of the seed bearing flora of the British Isles are also held in the Millennium Seed Bank. Seeds of rare and threatened species, such as the Lady's Slipper Orchid, are micro-propagated prior to reintroduction into the wild as part of the national Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), managed by English Nature and other UK conservation agencies. Collections of rare UK BAP lower plants (bryophytes) are held as a cryo-preserved collection and work is currently under way to develop methods to recover and reintroduce these cryo-preserved collections.

Also, in recognition that zoos can play a role in breeding endangered species for conservation purposes, British zoos are regulated through the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 to require them to participate in conservation measures including captive-breeding programmes for endangered species of animals.

We also provide funds to a number of Darwin Initiative projects which are focused on breeding endangered species in order to contribute to their conservation in the wild. For example, the Initiative has provided three grants to the RSPB and the Institute of Zoology for work to address the catastrophic decline of Vulture species across Asia. This work has identified causes of these declines and set up a captive breeding programme to ensure survival of populations while these causes are being addressed.
 
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Fly-tipping

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what volume of waste she estimates was illegally fly-tipped in the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) the nature of the waste and (b) whether it was fly-tipped in urban or rural areas; [4442]

(2) what estimated total volume of waste has been illegally fly-tipped in each year since 1992, broken down by the nature of waste. [4443]

Mr. Bradshaw: Defra has worked with the Environment Agency to establish a national database on fly-tipping (Flycapture) which has been operational since April 2004. No national data were previously available on illegal waste disposal or fly-tipping.

Flycapture is a summary database of fly-tipping incidents and does not record specific volumes. The following data are a summary of incidents reported to the Flycapture system from April 2004 to March 2005 broken down by waste type and location.
English WCAsEATotal—April 2004 to March 2005
Highway365,36319,536384,899
Footpath bridleway75,4445,98781,431
Back alleyway92,6905,42598,115
Railway79047837
Council land261,54516,598278,143
Agricultural3,6333914,024
Private residential16,8371,72318,560
Commercial industrial8,9219079,828
Watercourse bank2,1641972,361
Other37,6823,36241,044

English WCAsEATotal
Animal carcass7,1484577,605
Green37,3212,71040,031
Vehicle parts13,8111,12314,934
White goods50,3703,56053,930
Other electrical16,6851,23317,918
Tyres21,4631,63123,094
Asbestos2,7452402,985
Clinical1,9591642,123
Construction/demolition/ excavation44,7873,33448,121
Black bags—commercial34,7032,31637,019
Black bags—household234,10313,149247,252
Chemical drums of oil fuel3,7832724,055
Other household244,37117,336261,707
Other commercial23,3461,93525,281
Other127,9644,713132,677




Note:
The figures listed in the table are indicative figures from the first year of operation of the database. Data have become more consistent as users have submitted more complete returns. Defra will update its website with more detailed information on the first year's data shortly.



Game Rearing Farms

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many game rearing farms are operating in England. [4521]


 
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Jim Knight: There are approximately 200 established game farms, who rear and sell in the UK. Approximately a further 200 or so gamekeepers rear birds mainly for their own estates but also sell some to other estates. Finally, a further 1,500 gamekeepers are involved in rearing game birds for release only on their own estates.

I must emphasise that these figures are merely the industry's own best estimate for the UK as a whole. There are no actual statistics held.

GM Crops

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the planting of GM crops in Wales. [4038]

Mr. Morley: Defra keeps in regular touch with the Welsh Assembly Government on GM crop issues. This covers any applications for approval to cultivate GM crops under the EU legislative process, and the development of policy on the co-existence of GM and non-GM crops. Co-existence is a devolved matter but Defra and the devolved administrations are sharing information and ideas on possible ways forward.

Hazardous Waste

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of (a) the tonnage and (b) types of hazardous waste that will need to be treated to comply with the hazardous waste acceptance criteria coming into force on 16 July. [3452]

Mr. Bradshaw: The tonnage requiring treatment will depend on a number of factors, not least the amount arising. In 2003, some 4.8 million tonnes of special waste was consigned, and 47 per cent. was specifically consigned to treatment facilities (including recycling and reuse), 38 per cent. to landfill and 4 per cent. to incineration. Early indications suggest that arisings of hazardous waste for 2004 have declined further, though fully quality assured data will be available late in the summer.

Estimates on available capacity of hazardous waste treatment infrastructure were prepared for the Hazardous Waste Forum and posted on the Forum's website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/hazforum/statusreport.htm

Government and the Environment Agency are working closely with hazardous waste producers in the Landfill Regulation Group to assess how far treatment exists for specific waste streams in order that they may meet the waste acceptance criteria. The waste streams being considered in detail include battery recycling slag, spent pot linings and plasterboard.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the application of hazardous waste acceptance criteria coming into force on 16 July. [3453]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Government have transposed the requirements of Council Decision 2003/33/EC establishing the criteria and procedures for the acceptance of waste at landfills in the Landfill (England
 
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and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2004, SI 2004 No.1375. The Regulations will apply from 16 July 2005. A copy of the Regulations can be obtained from the Office of Public Sector Information at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) which hazardous waste treatment facilities operating in England are able to treat hazardous waste to comply with the hazardous waste acceptance criteria; what their capacity is; and where they are located; [3454]

(2) what types of hazardous waste cannot be treated in the UK to comply with the hazardous waste acceptance criteria coming into force on 16 July; what the estimated quantities of such waste are; and when the technology required to treat this waste is expected to be operational. [3455]

Mr. Bradshaw: Almost all hazardous wastes can be treated in order to comply with the landfill waste acceptance criteria. Those that cannot may generally be treated by other technologies (which may themselves produce residues suitable for landfill) such as high temperature incineration.

Through its Landfill Regulation Group, the Environment Agency is working closely with industry and Government to identify problematic waste streams and their quantities to eliminate or mitigate any potential issues that could arise. This is being monitored by the Hazardous Waste Forum. Decisions on what if any additional technologies may be required are matters for commercial operators and subject to gaining the usual permissions for land use and environmental protection.

The Environment Agency intends to supplement its Enforcement and Prosecution Policy with an enforcement position in respect of any hazardous waste that is not capable of meeting the Waste Acceptance Criteria on 16 July 2005 for which no alternative recovery or disposal routes are available.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many pollution prevention control permits the Environment Agency granted for hazardous waste treatment plants in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003, (e) 2004 and (f) 2005 to date; to which plants; and what the capacity and location of each plant is. [3456]

Mr. Bradshaw: The following table gives the number of permits for hazardous waste treatment plants issued by the Environment Agency under the Pollution and Prevention and Control (England and Wales) 2000 Regulations for the years 2000–05 to date.
Number of permits issued
2005 to date2
20043
20035
20022
20011
20000

 
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More detailed information, giving details of the capacity and location for each of these plants is given in the table.
 
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It should be noted that the capacity for four plants is given as >10 tonnes day. This is because this information is currently unavailable but I will write to the hon. Gentlemen when my officials have completed their investigations.
Operator nameInstallation nameDate effectivePPC permit addressCapacity
Advance Waste Management Ltd.Advance Waste Management13 December 2001Holbrooke Rise, Holbrooke Industrial Estate, Halfway, Sheffield, S20 3FGNo throughput capacity limits. Six month storage limit of 200m(7)
Reformation Disposal Services Ltd.Reformation Transfer Station29 May 2002Tollgate Road, Burscough Industrial Estate, Burscough, Ormskirk, L40 8LDAnnual capacity—1,000 tonnes
BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd.BP Wytch Farm Oilfield15 July 2002Gathering Station, Thrashers Lane, Corffe Castle, Wareham, BH20 5JRIn-house facility for BP only. No capacity limits in permit.
Octel Waste Management Ltd.Octel Waste Treatment Centre28 February 2003Cheshire Waste Management Centre, Oil Sites Road, Ellesmere Port, South Wirral, CH65 4HF206,000 tonnes per year
Petroplus Tankstorage Milford Haven Ltd.Milford Haven Tankstorage25 April 2003Waterston Refinery, Milford Haven, SA73 1DRTo longer treating waste. Applied to vary permit to remove the capability to treat produced water.
Oil and Water Ltd.Shaftesbury Oil and Water2 May 200320 Wincombe Business Park, Shaftsbury, SP7 9QJLimited to oil related wastes: No annual throughput capacity. Approx max storage capacities: above ground tanks 844m(7).; Drums 53m(7); Reception sump 60m(7); skips 12m(7)
Viridor Waste (Sheffield) Ltd.Salmon Pastures1 October 2003Salmon Pastures, Attercliffe Road, Sheffield, S4 7WTTo throughput capacity limits or storage capacity limit.
Alco Waste Management Ltd.Tanhouse Waste Transfer and Recycling Centre12 December 2003Tanhouse Ind. Estate, Cornubia Road, Lugsdale, Widness, WA8 OSB>10 tonnes haz waste/day
Bale Environmental Ltd.Honiton Waste Oil Treatment Facility23 April 200490 Durham Way, Heathpark Industrial Estate, Honiton, EX14 1SQWaste oil >10tonnes/day
Leicester City CouncilLeycroft Road Treatment Facility24 May 2004Leycroft Road, Beaumont Leys Liecester, LE4 1RT120,000 litres max storage capacity (street cleaning waste, inc. oil contaminated)
LIS (North Western) LimitedLIS (North Western) Limited14 October 2004Unit 20, Haydock Lane, Haydock Industrial Estate, Haydock, WA11 9UQ>10 tonnes haz waste/day
BCB Environmental Management Ltd.Tockwith Transfer Station31 March 2005Unit 87 Marston Moor Business Park, Tockwith, York, YO26 7QFStorage capacity of 50,000 tonnes/year
OSS Group Ltd.OSS Group Ltd. Exeter6 June 2005Greendale Business Park, Greendale Barton, Woodbury Station, Exeter, EX5 1ENWaste oil >10tonnes/day









Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps (a) her Department and (b) the Environment Agency have taken to raise awareness amongst producers of hazardous waste of the hazardous waste acceptance criteria that will be in force from 16th July 2005. [3457]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Government and the Environment Agency have undertaken the following actions, many of which were of joint collaboration:


 
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Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate her Department has made of the tonnage of hazardous waste that has been fly-tipped since 16 July 2004; [3458]

(2) how many incidents of fly-tipping of hazardous waste the Environment Agency's Flycapture data collection system has recorded since 16 July 2004; [3459]

(3) what estimate she has made of the tonnage of hazardous waste fly-tipped on private land since 16 July 2004 which has not been recorded by the Environment Agency's Flycapture data system. [3461]

Mr. Bradshaw: The national Flycapture database, established in April 2004, collates summary data of incidents of fly-tipping dealt with by waste collection authorities and the Environment Agency.

Flycapture does not record data specifically on hazardous fly-tips as it is broken down by other waste types. The system does not record specific tonnages. No national data are collected on tonnages of illegally dumped hazardous waste on private land.

Overall, the Environment Agency report that there has been no significant increase in fly-tipping of hazardous waste since July 2004, although there have been incidents of fly-tipping of asbestos in two regions, and these have been followed up as appropriate.
 
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The following table sets out the number of reported incidents dealt with by waste collection authorities and the Environment Agency in England for each month from July 2004 to April 2005, as recorded on Flycapture.
MonthAsbestosChemical drums/oil/fuelTotal
July 2004256256512
August 2004242473715
September 2004283267550
October 2004299311610
November 2004275388663
December 2004193298491
January 2005265336601
February 20053276741,001
March 2005259438697
April 2005276385661
Total2,6753,8266,501




Note:
Hazardous waste is not a specified waste type within Flycapture so the figures provided indicate those waste streams which may include hazardous waste. It is also important to note that Flycapture is a relatively new system and data returns have been increasing as usage of the system improves.




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