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Radioactive Discharges: UK Strategy
Baroness Wilkins asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they expect to publish the United Kingdom strategy for radioactive discharges.[HL5543]
Lord Whitty: The strategy is currently being printed and will be published very shortly. Copies will be placed in the Library. The document will also be available on the DEFRA website.
The strategy demonstrates how the UK will achieve substantial reductions in radioactive discharges in the period to 2020 to implement agreements reached at the 1998 ministerial meeting and subsequent meetings of the OSPAR Commission.
Radioactive discharges in the UK have already been reduced to around 1 per cent of peak levels in the 1970s. This strategy represents the next chapter of what has been an increasingly effective policy to minimise such discharges and shows that the Goverment are determined to maintain the downward pressure and to achieve the objective of the OSPAR radioactive substances strategy.
Contaminated Land: Supplementary Credit Approval Programme
Lord Evans of Temple Guiting asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What financial support is being given to English local authorities to meet the capital costs of dealing with contaminated land.[HL5547]
Lord Whitty: The Contaminated Land Supplementary Credit Approval (SCA) programme has provided suport to English local authorities' capital works for 12 years. It assists local authorities to fulfil their responsibilities under the contaminated land regime which was introduced on 1 April 2000, under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The regime makes local authorities responsible for identifying contaminated land as defined in the Act, and they may also be responsible for its remediation in their capacity as regulators or in carrying some responsibility for the land's condition. The SCA programme assists local authorities to meet these obligations.
We have agreed the programme for new projects to start this year. The department has already written to the successful authorities notifying them of the allocations which have been made for these new projects, and in respect of continuing commitments for projects approved in previous years.
Some bids are still being discussed with the authorities concerned, and there may be further allocations in respect of these and any further bids received later this year.
The following table sets out the allocations which have been made so far this current financial year.
| Local Authority | Number of Sites | Allocation for each Authority |
| Barnsley MBC | 1 | 4,000 |
| Bexley LB | 1 | 50,000 |
| Bristol City | 2 | 216,000 |
| Calderdale MBC | 2 | 720,000 |
| Cherwell DC | 1 | 35,000 |
| Cheshire CC | 2 | 150,000 |
| Chorley BC | 1 | 13,500 |
| Darlington BC | 1 | 13,907 |
| Devon CC | 7 | 650,065 |
| Durham CC | 5 | 76,500 |
| Ellesmere Port & Neston BC | 1 | 30,500 |
| Gateshead MBC | 1 | 246,000 |
| Hammersmith & | ||
| Fulham LB | 1 | 7,851 |
| Newcastle City | 3 | 779,935 |
| Newham LB | 1 | 30,219 |
| Northamptonshire CC | 7 | 344,983 |
| North Lincolnshire C | 1 | 830,000 |
| Oldham MBC | 1 | 9,496 |
| Plymouth City | 1 | 4,275 |
| Poole B | 2 | 60,000 |
| Portsmouth City | 1 | 19,500 |
| Rotherham MBC | 3 | 99,000 |
| Sandwell MBC | 2 | 7,722 |
| Solihull MBC | 1 | 193,000 |
| Southampton City | 2 | 4,200 |
| Stoke-on-Trent City | 1 | 12,000 |
| Thanet DC | 1 | 2,900 |
| Warrington BC | 1 | 126,015 |
| Warwickshire CC | 1 | 23,000 |
| West Sussex CC | 1 | 1,143,304 |
Groundwater Protection
Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What help and advice are available to sectors affected by the requirements of the Groundwater Regulations 1998.[HL5548]
Lord Whitty: Following publication of a groundwater protection code for sheep dipping last summer the department has prepared two further codes of advice. A groundwater protection code for those involved with petrol stations and underground storage tanks for hydrocarbons will be published shortly. In addition the department will be consulting
this summer on a code aimed at businesses which use solvents. These codes will provide a useful source of advice on all aspects relating to groundwater protection, including site design and development, operation and decommissioning.Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate
Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will publish its Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.[HL5549]
Lord Whitty: We are pleased to announce that, from today, the first three parts of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate are publicly available on the Government's Sustainable Development website. Copies of the website on floppy disk have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Part A of the framework sets out the overarching commitments to which all departments have signed up, and outlines the means by which progress towards these targets will be monitored and reported. It also sets a new target for environmental management systems to be rolled out across the estate. Parts B and C contain specific targets and guidance in the areas of travel and water consumption.
It is planned that the remaining parts of the framework—covering waste, energy, procurement, estates management, biodiversity, and social impacts—will be rolled out over the coming year.
The online publication of the framework is designed to facilitate the provision of the most up-to-date guidance and examples of best practice in relation to targets to all those involved in management of the government estate.
UK Preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development Government Response to EAC Report
Baroness Howells of St Davids asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will publish its response to the Environmental Audit Committee's Third Report of Session 2001–02, UK Preparations for the World Summit on Sustianble Development. [HL5551]
Lord Whitty: We are pleased to announce that we have today, laid in the Libraries of both Houses, copies of the Government's response to the Environment Audit Committee's Third Report of the 2001–2002 Session, UK Preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The Government's response sets out continued commitment to the achievement and promotion of sustainable development both internationally and at home. We have continued to play a signifcant role in preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development taking place in Johannesburg between 26 August–4 September 2002.
Bail
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the average rate of absconding among remand prisoners who are granted bail. [HL4941]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): Our best estimate based on information held on the Home Office court proceedings database is that, of those who were remanded in custody at some point in time, 14 per cent failed to appear in court in 2000 while on bail. This is slightly higher than the figure of 12 per cent, that refers to all those granted bail who failed to appear in court, that appears in Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 2000, Table 8.9.
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will advise magistrates to grant bail where, although they are satisfied that there are substantial grounds for believing that the defendant, if released, would commit a further offence while on bail, that offence is non-violent and attracts a maximum sentence of not more than three months' imprisonment.[HL5081]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No. Each bail decision is of course at the discretion of the courts and each case is considered on its own merits. The Bail Act 1976 establishes a presumption in favour of bail and then sets out exceptions to this presumption, so that the defendant need not be granted bail where he or she presents a bail risk. One of these exceptions is if the court believes the defendant would commit an offence. The Act even provides that defendants accused or convicted of non-imprisonable offences need not be granted bail if the court believes that the defendant would fail to return to custody and has a history of failing to surrender to custody in a previous grant of bail.
Samar Alami and Jarrad Botmeh
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many representations they have received concerning possible miscarriages of justice in the cases of Samar Alami and Jarrad Botmeh convicted in 1996 of involvement in bombings in 1994; whether these include representations from foreign governments; and, if so, which ones.[HL4961]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: According to Home Office records, we have received 21 representations alleging that Samar Alami and Jawed Botmeh are the victims of a miscarraige of justice. The Criminal Cases
Review Commission, which is now responsible for investigating suspected miscarriages of justice cases and referring them, where appropriate, to an appellate court, has so far received 12 representations about Ms Alami and Mr Botmeh. None of these representations have been from foreign governments.
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