Environment Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 4 June 2007.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been levied in fines by local authorities for incidences of pollution against (a) companies, (b) local authorities and (c) individuals for each type of pollution incidence (i) in total, (ii) in each region and (iii) for each fine in each financial year since 1998-99.
The total value of fixed penalty notices (FPNs), issued by English regions for noise related offences in 2004-05 and 2005-06, is shown in the following table.
Fine total (£) | ||
Region | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
South East | 100 | 100 |
North West | 4 | — |
North East | 56 | 1,500 |
West Midlands | 1,500 | — |
East of England | 2 | — |
Yorkshire and Humber | — | 100 |
Total | 1,672 | 1,700 |
The Department does not hold data for offences from 1998 to 2003, or whether FPNs were issued to companies or private individuals.
The Clean Air Act provides for fines for various offences which are all enforced by local authorities through magistrate courts. However, DEFRA does not collect these data.
For contaminated land, part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides for fines, levied through the courts, where a person fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any of the requirements of a remediation notice. Any convictions for such offences are contained on a register maintained by the enforcing authority. DEFRA does not collect these data centrally.
Total fines imposed by the courts for offences under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, where local authorities are the regulator, are shown as follows. Data are only available from 2000.
Fines imposed (£) | ||||||
Region | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
North East | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North West | — | — | 500.00 | 23,000.00 | 475.00 | 22,500.00 |
Yorks and Humberside | 5,500.00 | 10,500.00 | 9,500.00 | 4,500.00 | — | 4,500.00 |
West Midlands | 2,000.00 | 15,000.00 | — | — | 237,820.00 | 23,000.00 |
East Midlands | — | — | 4,000.00 | 30,000.00 | 8,000.00 | — |
East of England | 72,400.00 | — | 2,500.00 | — | 2,000.00 | — |
Wales | — | 8,000.00 | 2,000.00 | 2,000.00 | — | 750.00 |
London | — | — | 21,116.00 | — | — | — |
South East | — | 29,000.00 | — | — | — | — |
South West | 7,250.00 | — | — | — | — | — |
Total | 87,150.00 | 62,500.00 | 39,616.00 | 59,500.00 | 248,295.00 | 50,750.00 |
Again, a more detailed breakdown of this information is not available.
Further data on fines levied by local authorities for other pollution incidents could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
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