Orphan Sites: Hazardous Waste Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent
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Orphan Sites: Hazardous Waste
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent Excerpts(1 year, 3 months ago)
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Lord Benyon (Con)
The noble Lord is asking about an issue that is not in my knowledge. I will therefore write to him on the matter.
Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)
The Minister knows that the dumping of hazardous waste is on many occasions undertaken by organised crime gangs. Given that, how many successful prosecutions have there been over the last 12 months of individuals who have abandoned responsibility for hazardous waste sites?
Lord Benyon (Con)
The noble Baroness is right that organised crime is involved in this, as well as very low-level speculative crime, and it is important that we have measures in place to deal with that. In the financial year 2021-22 the Environment Agency brought 94 prosecutions against companies and individuals for waste-crime offences, resulting in total fines exceeding £6.2 million. In the three years since the Joint Unit for Waste Crime was launched, it has worked with 102 partner organisations and engaged in 175 multiagency days of action, and there have been 51 associated arrests.