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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to combat fly-tipping. [224977] Alun Michael: The Department is taking forward a wide ranging strategy for combating fly-tipping, in close liaison with the Environment Agency and local authorities. Some new powers for these enforcement agencies were included in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. Many more provisions have been included in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill which has now completed its passage through Parliament. These include raising the penalties for the main offence of illegal waste disposal; new powers to stop, search and instantly seize vehicles that are being used for fly- tipping; additional sentencing powers for the courts including a power to award forfeiture of vehicles used to commit an offence; and powers for the enforcing authorities to issue fixed penalty notices for some offences. We will work closely with the enforcement authorities on implementation of all the measures in the Bill. 100 per cent. of local authorities are now registered on the Flycapture database, which for the first time is producing national data on the nature and scale of fly-tipping across the country. We are funding the Environment Agency through the Flycapture Enforcement project to provide training for local authority enforcement officers and lawyers on how to enhance their skills. Through the BREW programme, we are providing additional funding for the agency to assist businesses in complying with the legal requirements on the disposal of waste. The Department has also just let a research project that will look in depth at the reasons why people fly-tip and will develop good practice guidance for local authorities on further measures they can take to help reduce the problem.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c1662W;432 c1657-8W; 224977

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Fly-tipping Local government Powers Waste disposal Waste

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk