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24 Mar 2010 : Column 308W—continued
The most recent available sets of minutes have been placed in the House Library.
Recycling
Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which the recycling industry can contribute towards meeting Courtauld II recycling targets in local authority areas; and if he will make a statement. [323701]
Dan Norris: Phase II of the Courtauld Commitment includes a new target for a 10 per cent. reduction in the carbon impact of grocery packaging: an estimated 1.1 million tonne CO2 equivalent emissions reduction through reducing the weight, increasing the recycling rates and increasing the recycled content of grocery packaging.
This new target is a key contribution to our aim of optimising packaging reductions, wider eco-design and increasing recycling, as set out in the Packaging Strategy. It will encourage companies to take up recycled contents in their packaging-another objective of the Packaging Strategy.
Separate from the Courtauld Commitment, DEFRA and the devolved Administrations have recently published a consultation document proposing higher producer responsibility targets for packaging, covering 2011-20. The consultation seeks views on the extent to which the recycling industry (among others) can help achieve local recycling targets. The consultation can be found at
Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities did not meet their targets for recycling waste in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what percentage of waste was recycled in each such area in that period. [323703]
Dan Norris: During the 2008-09 period, 21 local authorities did not meet their target for recycling household waste in line with National Indicator 192. The targets and percentages of waste actually recycled in each of these authorities are shown in the following table:
| Percentage | ||
| Local authority | Target | Actual |
Reptiles: Smuggling
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many reptiles were seized by HM Revenue and Customs under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species in each year 2000; and how many were seized in each seizure. [322454]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The numbers of live reptiles seized by officers of HM Revenue and Customs under the convention of international trade in endangered species (CITES) for the financial years 2005-06 to 2008-09 are given in the following table.
Information on all CITES seizures made by the former HM Customs and Excise prior to 2005 is available on the DEFRA website at:
| Seizures | Number of specimens | Seizures include | |
Rodents
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the most recent survey on rodents derived from data from the English House Condition Survey to be published. [323150]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The next report covering the period up to 2007 will be available soon. Final revisions are under way and we aim for it to be available by the end of May 2010.
Trade Unions
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days staff of his Department and its agencies spent on trade union activity in the latest year for which figures are available; and what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of such activity. [320612]
Dan Norris: We have interpreted 'Trade Union Activity' as the facility time DEFRA and our agencies provide to our trade union representatives.
DEFRA and our agencies currently provide trade union representatives with approximately 6,805 days facility time annually.
For the year 2009-10 the cost to the Department has been estimated as £1,200,000.
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of each response to his Department's consultation on household waste incentive scheme (a) application and designation guidance, (b) technical issues guidance, (c) finance guidance, (d) coverage and disadvantaged groups guidance and (e) unauthorised deposit or disposal guidance. [323053]
Dan Norris: Copies of responses received to the Department's June 2008 informal consultation on draft guidance for waste reduction schemes will be made available in the Library in due course.
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the respondents were to his Department's consultation on (a) incentives for recycling by households of May 2007, (b) draft guidance on household waste incentive schemes of June 2008 and (c) statutory good recycling service guidance of September 2008. [323054]
Dan Norris: The list of respondents for the Consultation on the Incentives for Recycling by Households, May 2007, can be found in the summary of responses which is available on DEFRA's website:
The respondents to the informal consultation on draft guidance, June 2008, are as listed. Some respondents submitted more than one response.
Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers Association
Association of Charity Shops
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Birmingham City Council
Bromsgrove District Council (did not comment on consultation documents)
Cambridgeshire County Council
Campaign for Real Recycling
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
County Surveyors Society
Coventry City Council
ESRC BRASS Centre, Cardiff University
GMB Union
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
Hampshire County Council
Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee
London Borough of Sutton
Norfolk County Council
Paediatric Continence Forum
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
Responses from private individuals
South Gloucestershire Council (did not comment on consultation documents)
Waste Watch
The list of respondents to the formal consultation on statutory Good Recycling Service guidance, September 2008, can be found in the summary of responses which is available on DEFRA's website:
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2010, Official Report, column 322W, on waste disposal: fees and charges, if he will place in the Library a copy of each response received to the informal consultation on draft guidance except the responses received from private individuals. [323532]
Dan Norris: Copies of responses received to the Department's June 2008 informal consultation on draft guidance for waste reduction schemes will be made available in the House Library in due course.
Waste Disposal: Public Opinion
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research has been commissioned by (a) his Department, (b) the Environment Agency and (c) the Waste and Resources Action Programme on public attitudes to (i) waste collection and (ii) waste disposal in the last three years; and what the (A) title and (B) completion date of each such research project was. [323180]
Dan Norris: DEFRA commissioned the following projects on public attitudes to waste collection and waste disposal in the last three years:
Building Greater Understanding of the Techniques and Processes Required to Promote Sustainable Waste Management through Behaviour Change Programme-completed June 2008.
The Organic Waste Use Collection-completed October 2007.
Enhancing Participation in Kitchen Waste Collection-completed March 2010.
Attitudes to the Use of Organic Resources on Land-completed February 2009.
Tracker Survey of Public Attitudes and Behaviour Towards the Environment-completed September 2009.
Testing Innovative Approaches for Achieving Sustainable Behaviours - Maiden Lane Gardens Food-Loop project-ongoing.
The Environment Agency has not carried out any research in this area.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) undertook the following projects:
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