Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with Birmingham City Council on the progress of negotiations with Unite.

The department engages regularly with Birmingham City Council and Commissioners, as is normal for all Councils under intervention, and continues to monitor the disruption caused by the bin strikes and the associated impact to the residents of the city.

The waste dispute is a local issue and is rightly being dealt with by the Council. The Government has no formal role in this matter. Waste management funding arrangements are also a matter for the Council and the department does not pay for waste management services on behalf of councils.