Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help tackle waste crime in Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency.

The Government is committed to tackling waste crime, which is a blight on our local communities and the environment and damages legitimate businesses. We have strengthened regulators' powers, are tightening the law and have increased the Environment Agency's budget by £10 million per year to make it harder for rogue operators to find work in the sector and easier for regulators to take action against criminals. We are also providing grants to councils across the country to help them purchase equipment to tackle fly-tipping. Recipients include Birmingham City Council.

Between 2013 and 2023 the Environment Agency stopped 52 illegal sites within the Birmingham area. From April 2022 to March 2023 the Environment Agency dealt with 384 incidents relating to suspected illegal waste sites/activities across the West Midlands. Around 84% of these reports which were substantiated were closed down within 90 days.

In the same year, the Environment Agency closed down 15 illegal waste sites classified as high risk. This protected 20,582 properties (located within 1km of the site) and removed of 148,982 tonnes of waste. Four of these sites were in the Birmingham area.