Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Official data do not capture the true scale and impact of waste crime, and government...
Recommendation
Official data do not capture the true scale and impact of waste crime, and government initiatives do not amount to a convincing overall plan to address this. Waste crime is greatly under-reported, so government and Agency statistics do not capture the full impact it has on communities, businesses and the environment. Only around a quarter of waste crime is reported and the Agency cannot estimate the quantity of waste that is illegally exported. Local authorities do not report fly- tipping to Defra on a consistent basis. To improve waste crime data, Defra and the Agency are placing their trust in a mix of initiatives, including encouraging public reporting, introducing digital tracking of waste and technological initiatives such as use of drones. But for the public to go to the effort of making reports, they will need to know that action will be taken in response and they will hear what it is. In the UK outside England environmental regulators are exploring the use of satellite technology to identify serious waste crime. Recommendation: Defra and the Agency need to explore the full range of potential solutions to data weaknesses, including for example satellite technology, and ensure successful delivery of existing initiatives to improve data; where these initiatives rely on public reporting there should be appropriate capacity to follow up reported incidents.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and says the Environment Agency is exploring data partnerships, satellite technology, digital waste tracking and notifications of waste to explore fraud and error in waste crime. They will also use the national waste crime survey and prioritise public reports based on intelligence.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented The agency is aware of the challenges of understanding criminality within the waste sector and will continue to explore ways, including changing the way the agency measures waste crime, to address the acknowledged issue. Examples include how they are exploring data partnerships, satellite technology, digital waste tracking and notifications of waste to explore fraud and error in waste crime. The national waste crime survey also provides the agency and the department with independent metrics on the scale and nature of waste crime that is unaffected by internal operational demands. In terms of public reporting, the agency records and assesses all reports to determine the most appropriate intervention. Information that is received from the public is analysed, evaluated and risk assessed to translate it into intelligence. Action based on this intelligence is prioritised using Home Office best practice using Management of Risk in Law Enforcement (MoRILE) scoring. With finite public funding, the agency then focuses its efforts on where they will have the most impact.