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13 Mar 2008 : Column 558Wcontinued
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with local authorities on the implementation of charges for the collection of household waste. [193143]
Joan Ruddock: As is to be expected with any policy development, my officials and I have rightly had a range of meetings with a variety of stakeholders on the powers provided in the Climate Change Bill for up to five local authorities to pilot waste incentive schemes.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effects of charges for the collection of household waste on the amount of waste placed in waste receptacles other than those associated with the property where the waste was generated. [193279]
Joan Ruddock: Powers provided in the Climate Change Bill will allow up to five local authorities to pilot non-revenue raising incentive schemes, which are designed to encourage household waste minimisation and recycling.
We do not consider that the introduction of pilot schemes should lead to increases in fly-tipping or waste crime. There is a range of powers available to local authorities to ensure that waste is dealt with legitimately, and we would expect them to continue to do so should they pilot a waste incentive scheme. The Government encourage authorities to make good use of the powers available to them, taking account of local circumstances and priorities.
Also, as can be seen in the Climate Change Bill, local authorities will be required to have a fly-tipping prevention strategy. We will be working with stakeholders to develop guidance on what the strategy might include.
If residents are concerned about neighbours placing waste in their bins, the local authority may wish to consider offering lockable bins. Evidence from Flanders, which operates a weight-based scheme, suggests that residents do not regard this type of behaviour as a problem; and take-up of lockable bins is very low. However, the pilots will give us the opportunity to monitor this kind of behaviour and assess what strategies are effective in preventing it.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how long he expects the charging for collecting household waste pilots to last; and whether a (a) minimum and (b) maximum duration will be set for each pilot. [193286]
Joan Ruddock: Powers provided in the Climate Change Bill will allow up to five local authorities to pilot non-revenue raising incentive schemes, which are designed to encourage household waste minimisation and recycling.
There is no general minimum or maximum duration for the pilots. Schemes will need to be in place for as long as needed in order to gather a solid evidence base to report back to Parliament. Ultimately it will be up to local authorities to come forward with proposals for pilot schemes, and my Department does not want to pre-empt that by specifying now how long each should
last. When the Secretary of State designates pilot areas, each designation order will specify a time at which that pilot will end.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account he has taken of the conclusions of the research commissioned from Eunomia on variable waste-charging in respect of the consideration by his Department of non-charging options in the guidance issued to the waste authorities running the related pilot schemes; and if he will make a statement. [193296]
Joan Ruddock: My Department carried out a pilot study in England in 2005-06 for reward-only local authority incentives for household waste management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive range of reward schemes in encouraging householders to reduce, recycle and compost their waste. More information is available on the DEFRA website.
DEFRA later commissioned research from Eunomia on variable waste charging, which therefore did not have any impact on the earlier reward-only pilot study.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to take account of the availability of civic amenity sites in (a) local authorities running household waste reduction pilots and (b) neighbouring local authorities not running such pilots for the disposal of household waste by residents potentially affected by pilot schemes; and if he will make a statement. [193301]
Joan Ruddock: The Climate Change Bill includes powers for up to five local authorities to pilot incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling. Residents will remain able to use their civic amenity site in exactly the same way as now. The pilots will allow us to test any impacts of waste incentives on civic amenity sites within the local authority area and in neighbouring local authority areas.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) strategy and (b) timetable is for the (i) start and conclusion, (ii) contiguity, (iii) number, (iv) duration and (v) cross-fertilisation of the pilot schemes for charging for the collection of household waste; and if he will make a statement. [193302]
Joan Ruddock: The Climate Change Bill includes powers for up to five local authorities to pilot incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling. Councils wishing to pilot schemes will be able to come forward with plans to fit local circumstances which must be approved by the Secretary of State and follow clear guidelines which have been set out in the legislation.
There is no timetable for the introduction of the five pilot household waste incentive schemes (including those which have a charging element) announced last year. However, as stated during the Communities and Local Government Committee's hearing on waste on 17 December 2007, the earliest the pilots are likely to start (including those which have a charging element) is April 2009. The exact timing will be subject to the parliamentary process as well as the implementation timetable for each pilot.
There is no general minimum or maximum duration for the pilotsschemes will need to be in place for as long as needed in order to gather a solid evidence base to report back to Parliament. Ultimately it will be up to local authorities to come forward with proposals for pilot schemes, and my Department does not want to pre-empt that by specifying now how long each should last. When the Secretary of State designates pilot areas, each designation order will specify a time at which that pilot will end. Each of the five pilots could start at different times and run for different lengths of time, according to what is feasible and appropriate for the individual schemes and areas in question.
The pilots will give us the opportunity to learn about the impacts of waste incentive schemes in an English context, and to gather and share best practice.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for the (a) timing and (b) number of further local authorities operating new arrangements for the collection of household waste following the commencement of the initial pilot schemes. [193303]
Joan Ruddock: The Climate Change Bill includes powers for up to five local authorities to pilot incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling.
As can be seen in the Climate Change Bill, after reporting the pilots and if Parliament agrees, the Government will be able to roll out the powers to all waste collection authorities in England to allow them to introduce a waste incentive scheme if they wish.
We have not set a time for making a decision about rolling out the powers. However, we would only do this once we had gathered sufficiently high quality evidence from the pilots.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much he has allocated to budgetary provision for waste collection authorities to introduce new arrangements for the collection of household waste after the conclusion of the pilot schemes. [193304]
Joan Ruddock: The Climate Change Bill includes powers for up to five local authorities to pilot incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling.
As I said in my written statement to Parliament on 15 November 2007, Official Report, columns 72-73WS, we will be providing funding of up to £1.5 million per year for three years to support the pilots, including funding for monitoring and evaluation purposes.
The Government have not allocated any funding at this stage for waste collection authorities to introduce waste incentive schemes, if and when the powers to do so were rolled out to all local authorities in England.
Research commissioned for DEFRA shows that authorities could make overall savings by introducing waste incentive schemes, as a result of having less waste to dispose of. In any case, it would be up to authorities themselves to decide whether or not they wanted to implement a scheme. Therefore, we would not expect them to need funding from Government.
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how new arrangements for the collection of household waste will
be applied to domestic properties where occupation is forbidden by law. [193308]
Joan Ruddock: The Climate Change Bill includes powers for up to five local authorities to pilot incentives for household waste minimisation and recycling.
Ultimately, it is up to local authorities to decide which domestic premises would be covered by a waste incentive scheme. However, where domestic properties cannot be occupied, one would not expect household waste to be generated or collected, and it is therefore unlikely that waste incentives would apply.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste Resources Action Programme have issued on the inclusion of uncooked meat in organic household waste collections. [193154]
Joan Ruddock: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), with funding from my Department, has supported a number of local authorities to conduct trials of food waste collections. WRAPROTATE (Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team) has provided advice on the design and roll out of the trials. Although no written guidance has been produced, WRAPs advice to local authorities taking part in the trials or seeking advice from ROTATE, is that if meat (cooked or uncooked) is collected as part of a separate food or organic waste collection service, that waste must be treated at a facility that is approved under the Animal By-Products Regulations.
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the security of the national food supply. [193652]
Hilary Benn: Food security is about ensuring that consumers have access to a stable and adequate supply of food. This requires effective risk management and contingency planning, security of our energy supplies, access to food from a variety of sources, and a strong food chain and infrastructure.
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider whether the prohibition of on-farm burials for livestock should be removed; and if he will make a statement. [193660]
Jonathan Shaw: I have no plans to remove the prohibition of on-farm burials for livestock.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what local authorities have been funded by (a) his Department and (b) WRAP to pilot non-financial incentive schemes to promote recycling. [192185]
Joan Ruddock: DEFRA carried out a pilot study in England in 2005-06 of local authority incentives for household waste management, backed by £3.1 million. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive range of reward-only schemes in encouraging householders to reduce, recycle and compost their waste. More information is available on the DEFRA website.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has not funded any pilot non-financial incentive schemes to promote recycling.
Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the contribution of public transport links to the implementation of the right to roam. [193661]
Jonathan Shaw: I have held no discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the contribution of public transport links to the implementation of the right to roam.
Natural England is taking forward the recommendations of the Committee of Public Accounts 32nd report, which includes considering the provision of more sustainable
travel to the natural environment and areas of open countryside. Natural Englands aim is to produce a national policy-based action plan by the end of 2008-09.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in each year since 1981, broken down by (a) offence and (b) animals affected; and if he will make a statement. [188605]
Joan Ruddock: The table provides details of the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in England and Wales for the years 1996 to 2006.
Data for all of the offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for years prior to 1996 are not held by my Department or the Ministry of Justice.
The data with which the Ministry of Justice has provided me cannot separately identify the animals affected unless specified in the Act.
Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
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