Clause 25 - Activities to which Chapter 1 does not apply
Waste and Emissions Trading Bill [Lords]
10:45 am
Mr Michael Meacher (Minister of State (the Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Oldham West and Royton, Labour)
In response to that point, let me tell hon. Members that subsections (1)(b) and (1)(c) refer to the deposit of non-hazardous dredging sludges, so the qualification applies to sludges. Subsection (1)(a) refers to ''sludges . . . or similar matter''.
I think that we are making quite a lot out of this. I cannot give a totally adequate ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' definition of sludges, although I think that we all have a pretty good idea of what is meant. Okay, there may be materials on the margins that cannot be entirely accurately described as sludges, but
they are similar. I hope that Members can accept a common-sense attempt not to exclude such materials, which may not precisely be sludges according to whatever official definition is used. That is all we are talking about. I hope that the hon. Lady, having listened to our interesting etymological debate, will not pursue the semantics too much, because it would certainly be beyond my capacity to reply.