Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
Eighteenth Report - Government actions to combat waste crime
Published 19 Oct 2022
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Government actions to combat waste crime All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Agency estimates that around 14 million tonnes of waste are legitimately exported each year. The Agency told us that tackling illegal export of waste is “one of our top priorities” and “we are active in trying to stop it”.81 It accepts this will require the 71 Qq 55–56, 65–67 72 Qq 43, 45; C&AG’s Report, Figure 18 73 Qq 45, 46 74 Qq 52–54 75 Qq 55–58 76 Qq 60–61 77 Qq 59, 62 78 Qq 62–63 79 GWC0007 (SUEZ) 80 Q 47 81 Q 81 Government actions to combat waste crime 17 Agency to work more over the next few years with the recipient countries of illegal waste exports than it has previously. The Agency believes that most illegally exported waste is going to non-OECD countries, which are less able to process the waste and more damaged by getting it.82 In future the Agency plans to use the tonnage of waste that is not going to illegal export, because of Agency interventions, as a performance metric.83
From: Public Accounts Committee, Eighteenth Report - Government actions to combat waste crime (HC 33), 19 October 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 14 December 2022 (deadline 19 December 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government states that it agrees with the Committee's recommendations on waste crime, listing most as "implemented" and giving target dates for others.
- On the Resources and Waste Strategy, the government agrees with the recommendation, while noting that "some delivery has been slower than originally planned"; it lists planned reforms including digital waste tracking and reform of the waste carriers, brokers and dealers' regime, both "planned for 2024".
- On landfill tax, the government agrees and says the Landfill Tax Review would consider the structure of the tax and "the impacts of any proposed changes to this on waste crime"; HMRC is to report on its approach to investigations, with a target date of December 2022.
- On sanctions, the government agrees and notes that the Sentencing Council is responsible for sentencing guidance and the courts make "independent decisions"; the department "intends to conduct new research" into enforcement of small scale fly-tipping, "anticipated to commence in early 2023".
- On the digital waste tracking contract, the government agrees; it is "anticipated that the contract will be let by the end of 2022" and the department "will write to inform the Committee" when this happens.