| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Written Answers
Tuesday, 4th March 1997.
Animal Carcase Incinerators
Lord Thomson of Monifieth asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What research into the design, operation and location of incinerators for the large-scale cremation of cows has been initiated by the Government through Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution or elsewhere; and what is the cost.
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Earl Ferrers): The Environment Agency, a successor body of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution, has carried out research into the design, operation and environmental performance of all types of incinerators, including animal carcase incinerators. This research formed the basis of its guidance note which was published in October 1996. This note does not cover location, as this is a matter for the operator. The cost of this work attributable to the animal carcase incinerators was of the order of £23,000.
Hedgerows: Draft Regulations
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What has been the result of the Government's consultation on the draft hedgerows regulations.
Earl Ferrers: The Government yesterday laid in both Houses draft hedgerows regulations, revised in the light of responses to the public consultation. Copies of the report on the analysis of the responses to the consultation have been placed in the Library of the House.
Child Crime: Prevention
Lord Campbell of Alloway asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What proposals they have for preventing children offending.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch): The Government attach a high priority to dealing with juvenile crime. We have acted to provide the courts with the powers they need to deal effectively with serious and persistent young offenders; and we have acted to reduce the use of inappropriate cautioning. But it would be better if young people did not offend in the first place.
We have therefore developed proposals for a new strategy which aims to reduce the risk of children
turning to crime. The strategy is based on research about the effectiveness of early intervention with children. We propose that it should be delivered by local agencies, including those in the voluntary sector, working together in partnership in a new local organisation, which might be known as a Child Crime Team. Its task would be to identify children at risk of offending at an early age, and refer them to programmes designed to help them stay clear of crime. A Home Office research study published today (Reducing Criminality among Young People, David Utting) describes a selection of the kinds of programme that might be effective.Parents have a very important role to play in bringing up their children to respect the law. Most parents face up to their responsibilities, and we believe they would co-operate with suitable programmes which reduced the risk of their children turning to crime. But there is a small minority of parents who do not bring up their children responsibly and who may refuse to accept any support that is offered. To meet that situation, we propose to give the courts a new power to make a parental control order requiring parents to exercise proper care and control over their children. The courts would be able to attach conditions, such as attendance at a suitable programme. The order would be available both where a child aged 10 to 16 had committed an offence, and where no offence had been committed but a child of any age up to 16 had demonstrated unruly behaviour likely to lead to offending.
These proposals are contained in a Green Paper which has been published today. My right honourable friend has placed a copy in the Library.
Data Protection Directive: Responses
Lord Dixon-Smith asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish the responses to the March 1996 consultation paper on the EC Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC).
Baroness Blatch: My right honourable friend is today placing a summary of the responses in the Library.
International Development Association: Funding
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress has been made in implementing the agreement reached in Tokyo last year on the eleventh replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA)?
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey): Under the arrangements established at
Tokyo, it was agreed that, in the first year of the new IDA triennium, the United States would aim to pay off their arrears to the tenth replenishment of IDA and the rest of the donor community would contribute to an interim trust fund for that year: procurement opportunities from this fund would be limited to contributors (and developing countries), thus excluding the United States. There would be a traditional burden sharing arrangement for the final two years of the replenishment, with no restrictions.The interim trust fund has now been established and is operational: the selection and approval process is under way in respect of some 2.3 billion dollars worth of projects (out of total of some 3.3 billion dollars). Parliament has approved our own contribution to the trust fund and we have deposited the promissory note.
However, despite this progress, the United States Administration has sought a relaxation of the procurement restrictions in order to try to ensure that Congress will approve the funds to meet both the IDA-10 arrears and their pledge to IDA-11. Following a meeting of senior officials on 6-7 February in Paris, it has now been agreed to adjust the trust fund arrangements. In short, an amount of uncommitted trust fund money--limited to SDR700 million (around 1 billion dollars)--is to be held back pending the results of Congressional deliberations on the United States Administration's request for finance to cover both the IDA-10 arrears and the first tranche of the US contribution to IDA-11 proper. The result will not be known until the autumn at the earliest when the issue will be discussed further among IDA contributors.
Nuclear Reprocessing
Lord Jenkins of Putney asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the purposes of nuclear reprocessing in the United Kingdom; where it is carried out; what percentage of nuclear waste reprocessed is from the United Kingdom and what percentage is from abroad; whether all waste originating from abroad is returned to the country of origin after reprocessing; and whether the quantity of nuclear waste in the United Kingdom has increased in recent years, and, if so, by how much.
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Fraser of Carmyllie): The purpose of nuclear reprocessing is to recover reusable products from spent nuclear fuel, namely uranium and plutonium, which can be recycled to make fuel for burning in nuclear reactors. Reprocessing recovers 97 per cent. of the used fuel for reuse with the remaining 3 per cent. extracted as wasted and conditioned for storage and ultimate disposal. Reprocessing in the UK is carried out at UKAEA's site at Dounreay and BNFL's site at Sellafield. Operational details are a matter for the companies concerned. All overseas reprocessing contracts signed since 1976 contain return of wastes options; it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government that these options should be exercised and wastes returned to the countries of origin.
The Department of the Environment report DOE/RAS/96.004, entitled Radioactive Waste Arisings in the UK--a Summary, published in June 1996, stated that on 1 April 1994 volumes of high level waste in stock were 3 per cent. lower than on 1 January 1991, while volumes of intermediate level waste in stock were 16 per cent. higher and volumes of low level waste in stock were similar.
| Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |