Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits to (1) employers, (2) employees, and (3) the environment, of employer-based benefit schemes such as Climate Perks that encourage rail travel in place of air travel; what consideration they have given to raising public and employer awareness of those schemes; and what consideration they have given to adopting such schemes for public sector employees.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

No such assessments have been made, but this government is committed to increasing awareness of/access to 'green' friendly schemes.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the duties of a local authority for clearing, or paying to clear, waste illegally placed by third parties (1) within 10 metres of a public highway for which the local authority is responsible, and (2) on private land more than 10 metres from such a highway; what assessment they have made of the implications where waste is illegally left by third parties (not the landowner or occupier) beyond 10 metres from the highway; and whether they intend to take any steps as a result.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Local authorities have a duty to keep their public land clear of litter and refuse and they have enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping. We encourage local authorities to investigate all incidents of fly-tipping, including those on private land, and make good use of their enforcement powers.

An assessment of the implications of waste illegally left by third parties beyond 10 metres from the highway has not been made.

Landowners are responsible for land that they own. We appreciate the difficulty and cost that fly-tipping poses to landowners and we are working with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, such as the National Farmers Union, to promote and disseminate good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created. We are also taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance for local authorities and are conducting a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a difference between the responsibilities of a local authority for clearing, or paying to clear, waste illegally placed by third parties (1) within 10 metres of a public highway for which the local authority is responsible, and (2) more than 10 metres from such a highway; what is the legal basis; and what assessment they have made of whether there is sufficient legal certainty of those responsibilities.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 imposes duties on local authorities to ensure that certain land is, so far as is practicable, kept clear of litter and refuse. The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse provides guidance on discharging these duties. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-on-litter-and-refuse (attached).

Landowners are responsible for clearing waste from land that they own.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 29 October (HL11074), whether they will make an assessment of the responsibilities of local authorities in relation to clearing up fly-tipping that takes place on a private land more than 10 metres from the highway.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There is no plan to make an assessment of the responsibilities of local authorities in relation to clearing up fly-tipping that takes place on a private land more than 10 metres from the highway.

Landowners are responsible for clearing waste from land that they own.