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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of waste-processing facilities currently operating with expired permits.

Environmental Permitting Regulations require operators of industrial/waste facilities to get permits from regulators to control pollution to air, land, and water, ensuring compliance with set conditions, and protecting public health through legal frameworks. Waste management site permits do not expire; they have to be surrendered by the permit holder. Therefore, there are no sites operating with expired permits.