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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities have sufficient funds to promote home-based waste separation for recycling. [163153] Mr. Morley: [holding answer 23 March 2004]: Local authority waste management services are funded through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block. Spending Review 2002 increased provision by £671 million over the three years to 2005-06 and we will again be considering the quantum of funding as part of Spending Review 2004. In addition, on 6 January I announced that Defra will be distributing a share of a £20 million grant to all local authorities in England to address the pressure each faces to invest in waste management services in 2004-05. Within Defra we have also established the Waste Implementation Programme (WIP), investing in strategic measures to help authorities to divert waste from landfill. Through the Waste Minimisation and Recycling (`Challenge') Fund, WIP provides funds for local authorities to implement projects that improve recycling infrastructure in their area. Many of these projects improve the design and coverage of kerbside recycling schemes, including household separation. In 2003-04 the Challenge Fund has distributed £62.5 million to 14 big-ticket `partnership' projects, and £43.3 million to 51 smaller projects. WIP has made £30 million available to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) for communications and awareness work directly focused on increasing participation in recycling and waste minimisation initiatives. A significant proportion has been allocated to a new fund, targeted at communications projects delivered at local level, primarily by local authorities, including: £1.7 million recently allocated to support the continuation or expansion of existing local communications schemes; £8.5 million to communications programmes directly supporting new recycling infrastructure funded by WIP under the Challenge fund; £8.5 million to fund other communications activity delivered at local or regional level through WRAP'S Performance Improvement Through Communications Initiative. WRAP also operate a free advisory service available to local authorities that need to implement and improve kerbside collection systems.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

419 c1205-6W;419 c1207-8W; 163153

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Finance Grants Local government Recycling Waste management WRAP Waste Implementation Programme

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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