Clause 26 - Penalties under Chapter 1: general
Waste and Emissions Trading Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
Mr John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings, Conservative)
My hon. Friend knows that I am not the greatest enthusiast for market economics, but I am a former business man so I understand the importance of ensuring that there is an economic incentive. If people are to feel that their work is worth while, there has to be a policed approach between the collection and disposal authorities and all others involved in the partnership, which may include the private sector, householders and all those who care about or are involved in dealing with waste.
I was about to speak of the need for the relationship to work both ways, although that is not unrelated to what my hon. Friend said, because there may be recalcitrant collection authorities in a disposal authority area. If the disposal authority is obliged to bring itself up to the standards of the best, it would be awkward if it had to work with collection authorities that were not doing their bit. It is a two-way relationship, and all parties need to be responsible.
My hon. Friend rightly pointed out that duality is recognised in new clause 45 because of the financial link between the collection and disposal authorities, and the obligation for disposal authorities to deal with waste properly once the collection authority has taken the necessary steps to collect it, sort it and pass it on in an acceptable form. That is what underpins the amendment and new clause 45. They are helpful in cementing the relationship between the different elements in the strategy. They are essential to ensuring that everyone who commits to the strategy embodied in the Bill believes that they are being treated with fairness.
My worst-case scenario is of some collection or disposal authorities being committed to implementing the strategy properly while others are not, because the result will be that the activities of the best are diminished or diluted by the standards of the worst.
The Minister will probably say that the targets that we set for all authorities will mitigate that to some extent, but in the initial stages, while people are finding their feet, it will be necessary to cement those relationships in order to emphasise their importance.