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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND

THE REGIONS

Packaging Waste

Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will make a statement on his review of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997; and when the review will commence; and what procedures it will follow; [19739]

Mr. Meacher: Increasing the recycling and recovery of waste packaging is an important element of achieving a more sustainable waste strategy. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 are intended broadly to double UK recycling and recovery rates by the year 2001, so that around 50 per cent. of all waste packaging is recovered. These regulations, enacted by the previous Government, are based on an industry agreement reached on 15 December 1995 and, as I have indicated previously, I am keen to ensure that we review their effectiveness and ensure that they fairly reflect that agreement. I accept the importance of an early Review as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Packaging, chaired by Sir Peter Parker, to the then Secretary of State for the Environment, the right hon. Member for Suffolk, Coastal (Mr. Gummer), in his letter of 9 July 1996, a copy of which is in the Library.

I have set four broad objectives for the Review:


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I am asking the Advisory Committee to let me have their recommendations on the best means of achieving these objectives and in addition to look at the following specific issues:


    (i) The case for separate targets for household and commercial and industrial recycling, and the scope for strengthening the local authority role;


    (ii) The case for additional regulatory measures to encourage minimisation, and reuse of packaging and greater consumer awareness of opportunities to minimise and recycle;


    (iii) The effectiveness of current requirements on evidence of compliance and in particular the system of proformas issued by accredited reprocessors (known as Producer Responsibility Notes) and whether this system should be retained in its present form or could be improved;


    (iv) How small businesses can best be encouraged to play a part in increasing recycling and recovery levels.

I have asked the Advisory Committee to let me have their recommendations by the end of May and I will consider representations from all other interested parties before determining what proposals to bring forward for public consultation later in 1998.

I have today also received the Advisory Committee's recommendations on the issues on which I asked for their views earlier this year. A copy of their advice is in the Library. With regard to readjustment of the shareout figures in the regulations, I agree with the Committee that the data provided so far this year are not sufficiently robust on which to base a new shareout allocation, and I have asked for further work to be carried out to validate these data, as far as is practicable. I will give further consideration to this and the other issues looked at by the Committee in bringing forward proposals for public consultation next year.

Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (West Midlands)

Jacqui Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will investigate what arrangements the West Midlands Leasehold Valuation Tribunal will make to administer the valuation cases to be submitted on behalf of the Redditch Leasehold Action Committee; and what targets he has set for the maximum time that the leaseholders concerned should expect to wait after submission for decisions. [20462]

Mr. Raynsford: Leasehold Valuation Tribunals are statutorily independent bodies. I understand that the West Midland Leasehold Valuation Tribunal proposes to deal with these cases in batches of about 10 to 25, as submitted by the Agent for the Leaseholders. Applications on this scale have never had to be dealt with before, and the Tribunal has been in touch with the Agents for all the parties concerned throughout. Despite having no

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powers to issue directions, it is proactively seeking to encourage the parties to identify and narrow the relevant issues prior to the hearings.

The first batch is to be dealt with on 5 February 1998 and the intention is to hear subsequent batches at the rate of one per week.

The West Midland Tribunal, of course, also has to deal concurrently with cases from other parts of their area.

On this basis, the earliest cases will have taken approximately 12 months from receipt of the applications at the Tribunal offices to issue of the decisions, but these cases have been held back at the request of the parties awaiting the decisions on three earlier applications submitted by freeholders.

It is anticipated that, as hearings progress, later cases should be decided in about half that time.

Channel Tunnel

Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State fore the Environment, Transport and the Regions what public support has been provided to enable a train service from Edinburgh to run direct through the Channel Tunnel or to connect with the channel tunnel service at Waterloo. [20697]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The provision of rail services through the Channel Tunnel is the commercial responsibility of Eurostar (UK) Ltd. (EUKL), which was transferred to the private sector in May 1996. When EUKL (then called European Passenger Services Ltd.) was in Government ownership--9 May 1994 to 31 May 1996--direct grants totalling £423.7 million were made towards running costs and investment. No specific sums were, however, earmarked for the provision of services to or from Edinburgh.

Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to assist the development of a high-speed rail link from Edinburgh to the continent via the Channel Tunnel. [20698]

Ms Glenda Jackson: A new high speed rail link between the Channel Tunnel and London St. Pancras is planned to be completed in 2003. This new line, along with the East Coast Main Line, should provide for high speed trains between Edinburgh and the Continent.

Heathrow Rail Link

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he expects work on the Heathrow rail link to (a) start and (b) be completed. [20938]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Heathrow Express project is progressing well with services due to start in mid 1998.

Railtrack and BAA have taken forward a feasibility study looking at the potential for development of Heathrow-St. Pancras services. Investigations are at an early stage and it is not possible to say whether the scheme will be taken forward.

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Kyoto Conference

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list each of the delegations with whom he held meetings at the climate change conference in Kyoto; and if he will place in the Library copies of (a) all papers submitted by the United Kingdom to the conference and (b) all papers made available to the United Kingdom delegation by other parties to the conference in the period up to and including 10 December. [20770]

Mr. Meacher: During the recent climate change conference in Kyoto, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and I held meetings with representatives from the following delegations:









In addition, the UK delegation had meetings at official level with a wide range of other countries including Canada, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Russia, Pakistan and St. Kitts-Nevis.

I will shortly place in the Library copies of the Deputy Prime Minister's statement to the Conference and copies of those statements made by other parties which were made available to the United Kingdom delegation.

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