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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many waste incineration plants burning (a) residential, (b) commercial and (c) industrial waste were licensed in each of the last five years.

The Environment Agency is responsible for issuing environmental permits for waste incineration plants in England. The following numbers of new permits have been issued for relevant plants over the last five years:

2014: Three plants each permitted to burn residential, commercial and industrial waste and one plant permitted to burn hazardous industrial wastes

2015: Two plants each permitted to burn residential, commercial and industrial waste

2016: Two plants each permitted to burn residential, commercial and industrial waste

2017: Two plants each permitted to burn residential, commercial and industrial waste

2018: One plant permitted to burn residential, commercial and industrial waste

2019 to date: Two plants each permitted to burn residential, commercial and industrial waste