Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cost to local authorities of cleaning up fly tipping of waste.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The estimated cost of clearance of fly-tipping to local authorities in 2014/15 was nearly £50 million. Local authorities dealt with nearly 900,000 incidents of fly-tipping in 2014/15, with nearly two thirds of fly-tips involving household waste.
The penalties for fly-tipping are imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine, or both, on summary conviction; or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or a fine, or both, on conviction on indictment.
In May 2016 the Government gave local councils the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for small-scale fly-tipping as an alternative to prosecution. The fine for a Fixed Penalty Notice is between £150 and £400 as specified by the waste collection authority, and £200 if no amount is specified.
Local authorities are not under any legal obligation to clear fly-tipped waste from private property, so this responsibility falls to the landowner. Depending on the circumstances, local authorities will often provide advice and guidance on measures that can be taken to prevent further fly-tipping, or may investigate an incident if there is sufficient evidence. Some authorities may also offer a clearance service but they are likely to charge for this. Government officials chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice in the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipped waste.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what compensation and remedies are available to private landowners with regard to fly tipping on their land.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The estimated cost of clearance of fly-tipping to local authorities in 2014/15 was nearly £50 million. Local authorities dealt with nearly 900,000 incidents of fly-tipping in 2014/15, with nearly two thirds of fly-tips involving household waste.
The penalties for fly-tipping are imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine, or both, on summary conviction; or imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or a fine, or both, on conviction on indictment.
In May 2016 the Government gave local councils the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for small-scale fly-tipping as an alternative to prosecution. The fine for a Fixed Penalty Notice is between £150 and £400 as specified by the waste collection authority, and £200 if no amount is specified.
Local authorities are not under any legal obligation to clear fly-tipped waste from private property, so this responsibility falls to the landowner. Depending on the circumstances, local authorities will often provide advice and guidance on measures that can be taken to prevent further fly-tipping, or may investigate an incident if there is sufficient evidence. Some authorities may also offer a clearance service but they are likely to charge for this. Government officials chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice in the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipped waste.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the economic value of the agricultural sector to the economy; and how many jobs it provides.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In 2014 the contribution to the economy of UK agriculture, as measured by gross value added at basic price, was £9.2 billion.
The number of people employed on agricultural holdings in the UK on 1st June 2014 was 181,000. This includes salaried managers, regular and casual workers.
An additional 294,000 self-employed principal farmers also worked on agricultural holdings in the UK, giving a total of 476,000 or 1.43% of the total UK workforce.
Table 1: The number of people working on farms in the UK June 2014
Number of people ('000 head) | |
Salaried managers, regular and casual workers | 181 |
Principal farmers, partners, directors and spouses | 294 |
Total number of people working on farms | 476 |
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage companies based in the United Kingdom to source produce from local suppliers.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Decisions about food sourcing must be taken by individual businesses. However, last year the Government published the ‘Plan for Public Procurement of Food and Catering Services’, through which the public sector demonstrates leadership in the better procurement of local and sustainable food. The Plan also helps suppliers of British grown and processed produce to take advantage of opportunities to supply the public sector. Several companies are adopting this approach across their wider operations.
In addition, we are putting in place an ambitious 25 year plan to promote and grow our world-leading food and farming industry, encouraging enterprise and boosting productivity at each stage of the food chain.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to control and eradicate invasive species in and around watercourses such as Himalayan balsam, non-native crayfish, American mink and quagga mussels.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The GB Non-Native Species Strategy sets out a three pronged approach to dealing with invasive non-native species (INNS): horizon scanning and prevention; rapid response and eradication; and long term control. The Government has undertaken a variety of measures in line with the strategy, which is currently being revised and updated. The implementation of the strategy is overseen by a programme board, chaired by Defra, which includes the Environment Agency. The board regularly considers action to tackle specific species, including those in and around watercourses.
In 2011 Defra launched two campaigns to raise awareness of the risks posed by INNS and to prevent their spread: Be Plant Wise and Check, Clean, Dry. Defra is working closely with the Environment Agency to implement strategic plans and promote the Check, Clean, Dry message, in particular to prevent the spread of the quagga mussel, which arrived in England in October 2014. The Environment Agency is also continuing to monitor water bodies for quagga mussels and to work with water companies and watersports organisations to prevent the further spread, where possible.
The Check, Clean, Dry message is equally applicable to efforts to control the spread of non-native crayfish. Defra has also been funding the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) to develop a trapping methodology to help remove crayfish from waterways. Cefas has been examining how best to capture both adult and juvenile non-native crayfish and where best to locate the traps within a water body to improve trapping success. Its report is due for submission to Defra in March 2015 and will be used to produce best practice guidelines for trapping non-native crayfish.
In addition, between 2011 and 2015, Defra has provided funding to help set up and establish local action groups (LAGs) throughout England, to tackle invasive non-native species that can impact on the aquatic realm, including non-native crayfish, Himalayan balsam and American mink. LAGs have undertaken a range of activities, including the cutting and treatment of Himalyan balsam; the use of mink rafts to capture American mink; and crayfish traps to capture non-native crayfish. LAGs have been a driving force in promoting biosecurity messages and have also undertaken horizon scanning for INNS, which are likely to arrive in local areas.
The Defra-funded trial release of a rust fungus to control the growth and spread of Himalayan balsam was carried out during 2014 and this work continues to be monitored to assess impacts.
Asked by: Earl of Shrewsbury (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Environment Agency intends to publish a Waste Crime Report for 2013–14; and if so, when that report will be published.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The Environment Agency is currently finalising its plans to publish waste crime and other data for 2013-14.