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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) devolved authorities and (b) regulatory bodies on the cross-border movement of industrial waste for land reclamation purposes.

Defra officials continue to engage with their counterparts in the devolved authorities on matters including the movement of waste. I recently met with Gillian Martain MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy in the Scottish Government to discuss reports suggesting waste sent to landfill in Scotland may be diverted to landfill in England.

There are no additional controls on the movement of waste between England and the devolved nations, to those that apply to movements within the individual nations. In England and Wales, waste must be managed in accordance with the Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice. Similar Codes of Practice apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Waste can only be transferred to a site that has the appropriate authorisation (eg. permit or exemption) to receive, treat or dispose of the waste.