Source: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/33/notes/data.xht?view=snippet&wrap=true
Timestamp: 2018-03-22 06:59:07
Document Index: 708735787

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1']

Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003(c. 33) - Explanatory Notes
3.The Act extends to the whole of the UK, although some particular provisions have limited territorial extent (see section 41).
4.Part 1 of the Act is intended to give legal effect to the obligations imposed by Article 5(1) and (2) of Council Directive 1999/31/EC(1) (“the Landfill Directive”) which was adopted on 26 April 1999 and entered into force on 16 July 1999. The Act also implements a commitment in the White Paper “Waste Strategy 2000: England and Wales”(2) to introduce tradable allowances for local authorities to restrict the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills.
5.The aim of Article 5(1) and (2) of the Landfill Directive is to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste that is sent to landfills. Member States are required to establish a national strategy for the reduction of biodegradable waste going to landfills. Such a strategy must ensure that targets for the reduction of the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfills set out in Article 5(2) of the Directive are met. Each EU Member State must reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills to 75% of the amount produced by that State in 1995 by 2006, to 50% by 2009 and to 35% by 2016. There is a four year derogation of this target for Member States which send to landfills more than 80% of their collected municipal waste in 1995. The UK qualifies to take advantage of this derogation.
6.The Act seeks to fulfil the requirements of Article 5(1) and (2) of the Landfill Directive by providing for the Secretary of State to set the maximum amounts of biodegradable municipal waste which may be sent to landfills from each country of the UK. The Act enables a landfill allowance system to be set up which limits the amount of biodegradable waste disposal authorities may send to landfill on the basis of allocations made by allocating authorities for each country of the UK. The Act also requires the Secretary of State and the appropriate authority for each country of the UK to have a national strategy for the reduction of biodegradable waste sent to landfills. In two-tier areas of England, the Act gives waste disposal authorities the power to direct waste collection authorities to deliver their waste in a separated form. It also requires authorities in two-tier areas, subject to certain exemptions, to have in place a joint strategy for the management of their municipal waste.
7.Part 2 of the Act is concerned with the trading of emissions quotas. Section 38 amends Schedule 1 to the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999. One purpose of that Act was to enable legal effect to be given to Council Directive 96/61/EC(3) (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive). The amendment provides for penalties in future emissions trading schemes. This Part of the Act also provides for the enforceability of penalties, including fixed financial penalties, in the current non-statutory UK Emissions Trading Scheme. The policy framework for the Emissions Trading Scheme was set out in the ‘Framework for the Emissions Trading Scheme’ published in August 2001.(4)
11.Part 1 of the Act requires the National Assembly for Wales to have a national strategy for reducing the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfills from Wales (section 19). Also, as the “allocating authority” for Wales, the Assembly is required to allocate allowances to waste disposal authorities in Wales (section 4) and, under Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Act, has power to make regulations setting out the detailed requirements of how the landfill allowances scheme will operate in Wales. In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the functions of “allocating authority” are given, respectively, to the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers and the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.
12.Sections 29 and 30 apply to Wales only and provide the National Assembly of Wales with powers to require local authorities to have a strategy for the management of waste and to supply it with information about waste.
13.The National Assembly of Wales has a separate power of commencement for sections 4, 5, 9, 10, 19 and 35(c) (see section 40).
14.The provisions in Part 2 of the Act affect powers which the of the National Assembly does not currently exercise: section 38 extends regulation-making powers which at the date of writing have not been transferred to the National Assembly and section 39 relates to the existing non-statutory UK Emissions Trading Scheme which is administered by the Secretary of State in respect of the whole of the UK.
55.The Act will require small additional public expenditure:
by the allocating authorities in putting the landfill allowance scheme in place;
by local authorities in Wales in preparing strategies under section 29 (although most authorities already prepare such strategies) and providing information under section 30;
by local authorities in England in two tier areas in drawing up and revising strategies under section 32 (although many authorities already have such strategies and those whose performance is considered satisfactory will be eligible for exemption from the duty);
By waste disposal authorities which are required to make payments to waste collection authorities under section 31 of the Act, in respect of directions to deliver waste in a separated form.
56.The effects of the Act on public sector manpower will be marginal. However, under Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Act, some additional staff will be needed to make allocations of landfill allowances and to monitor the operation of the landfill allowances scheme.
57.The Act will ensure that the reductions in the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste required to meet the targets in Article 5(2) of the Landfill Directive are distributed evenly among the UK’s constituent countries, and that the targets are met in the most cost effective and efficient way. The administrative burden on both local authorities and landfill operators will be marginal.
58.The UK Emissions Trading Scheme is voluntary and the Act puts in place the penalties framework for those companies that miss their emissions reduction targets. Companies are expecting a measure along the lines of section 39 and the bringing forward of such a measure is expressly referred to in their existing contracts with the Secretary of State.
59.The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Rt Honorable Margaret Beckett MP, has made the following statement:
““In my view the provisions of the Waste and Emissions Trading Bill are compatible with the Convention rights.””
will come into force…
1-3, 17, 31, 32(12), 35(b) and 39. On a day appointed by the Secretary of State.
On a day to be appointed by:
the Secretary of State in relation to England,
the National Assembly for Wales in relation to Wales,
the Scottish Ministers in relation to Scotland,
the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland in relation to Northern Ireland.
18, 19 and 35(c), and 20. On a day appointed by the Scottish Ministers, the National Assembly for Wales and the Department for Northern Ireland respectively.
32(1)-32(9) Two months after this act is passed.
the National Assembly for Wales in relation to Wales
The remaining sections of the Act will come into force on Royal Assent.
House of Lords – Introduction / First Reading 14 Nov 2002 Vol. 641, Col. 25
Second Reading 3 Dec 2002 Vol. 641, 1032 - 1048
Grand Committee (First Day) 17 Dec 2002 Vol. 642, GC1 – GC60
Grand Committee (Second Day) 18 Dec 2002 Vol. 642, GC61 – GC118
Report 3 Feb 2003 Vol. 644, Col. 14 – 20, 33 - 82
Third Reading 6 Mar 2003 Vol. 645, Col. 921 - 956
House of Commons – Second Reading 20 Mar 2003 Vol. 401, Col. 1128 - 1177
Committee Stage – First Sitting (Morning) 3 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Committee Stage – Second Sitting (Afternoon) 3 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Committee Stage – Third Sitting (Morning) 8 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Committee Stage – Fourth Sitting (Afternoon) 8 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Committee Stage – Fifth Sitting
10 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Committee Stage – Sixth Sitting (Afternoon) 10 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Committee Stage – Seventh Sitting
29 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Committee Stage – Eighth Sitting (Afternoon) 29 April 2003 Standing Committee B
Report and Third Reading 28 Oct 2003 Vol. 412, Col. 179 - 274
Lords Consideration of Commons Amendments 3 Nov 2003 Vol. 654, Col. 521 - 538
Royal Assent – 13 November 2003 House of Lords Hansard Vol. 654 Col. 1521
House of Commons Hansard Vol. 413 Col. 393
OJ L 182, 16.7.1999, p.1
Waste Strategy 2000: England and Wales, Command Paper 4693
OJ L 257, 10.10.96, p. 26.
Defra, August 2001, http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/index.htm.
S.I. 1992/3240Back [6]
S.I. 1997/2778Back [7]