- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in response to the letter of 10 August 2001 from the Director of Transport and Environmental Standards of Scottish Borders Council asking it to make representations to Her Majesty's Treasury regarding an exemption from the landfill tax for the council in respect of waste paper and cardboard, given the potential implications of the tax for the council's budget in the context of the current situation in the waste paper and cardboard recycling markets.
Answer
I replied to the letter from Scottish Borders Council on 5 September 2001 advising that the Scottish Executive would not be prepared to make representations to Her Majesty's Treasury on its behalf as requested.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether cement kilns when combusting waste known as "recycled liquid fuel" emit up to ten times more dioxins than purpose-built incinerators.
Answer
There is no evidence to indicate that higher levels of dioxins are emitted when recycled liquid fuel is used to provide energy in cement kilns compared with emissions from purpose-built incinerators. The use of this type of fuel in cement kilns is treated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as a process of co-incineration falling within the scope of the EC Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive. That directive requires a dioxin limit of 0.1 nanogrammes per cubic metre for hazardous waste incinerators. This is the same limit that SEPA applies to purpose-built incinerators.The recycling of waste products into fuels that are useable in processes such as cement production reduces the demand for raw materials and helps to conserve fossil fuel resources.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports a policy of decreasing the level of waste disposal by incineration in line with some other EU countries.
Answer
The current level of municipal waste incinerated in Scotland is around 2%. The National Waste Strategy provides the framework for waste management policy in Scotland and, through the development of 11 area waste plans, will determine the best practicable environmental options for future waste management. A major objective of the strategy is to reduce the reliance on landfill, moving instead to options higher up the waste hierarchy i.e. reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and energy recovery. It would therefore be inappropriate to implement a policy of decreasing the level of waste disposal by incineration.The Renewables Obligation (Scotland) consultation paper issued by the Executive on 3 August 2001 sets out the policy on energy-from-waste as a source of renewable energy. Following initial consultation the Executive proposes not to support the conventional incineration of municipal waste. New, cleaner thermal technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis will be supported where these fit in with an integrated waste management system. This would involve thermal treatment only of the residues left once separation, recycling and composting has been carried out first.Copies of the consultation paper are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 15597).
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any use of additional pollution abatement equipment at the Blue Circle cement factory near Dunbar, given that the factory combusts waste known as "recycled liquid fuel".
Answer
This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Prison Estates Review will be published.
Answer
I propose to consult on the published review later this year.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's recommended level is of authorised emissions of dioxins to air from cement factories burning waste known as "recycled liquid fuel" and what levels are recommended by the World Health Organisation and EU respectively.
Answer
The use of substitute liquid fuel in a cement kiln is treated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as a process of co-incineration falling within the scope of the EC Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive. That directive requires a dioxin limit of 0.1 nanogrammes per cubic metre for hazardous waste incinerators.The World Health Organisation (WHO) does not set standards for emissions from processes. WHO standards for dioxins are in terms of "Tolerable Daily Intakes" or "TDIs". The main source of these intakes is our food. The WHO currently recommends a TDI of between 1 and 4 picogrammes of dioxins per kilogramme of body weight. The European Union's Scientific Committee on Food defines its recommended limits on intake in terms of a "Tolerable Weekly Intake" which is currently set at 14 picogrammes of dioxins per kilogramme of body weight. For the UK, limits on intake are currently subject to consideration by the Food Standards Agency's Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the spillage of 6,000 litres of ha'ardous liquid fuel at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar last month, it is satisfied with production procedures at the factory.
Answer
The Executive is satisfied with the environmental and health and safety legislation which regulate the cement manufacturing process. Assessment of the effectiveness of pollution controls and health and safety procedures at particular sites is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the report in the Sunday Herald on 19 August 2001 regarding toxin emissions in cement production at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar, it will commission an independent analysis of the production processes there and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to commission an analysis of the production processes at the Dunbar plant. The toxicity of substances used in building materials is controlled through environmental and health and safety legislation. Responsibility for assessing the effectiveness of monitoring procedures for emissions at particular sites lies with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and for occupational health matters with the Health and Safety Executive.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the cement production methods at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar give no cause for concern either to the health of those living in the vicinity or to those who occupy buildings built with cement from there.
Answer
The Executive is satisfied with the monitoring procedures in place for measuring emissions from the Blue Circle factory at Dunbar and with the environmental and health and safety legislation which regulates the cement manufacturing process.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the report in the Sunday Herald on 19 August 2001 regarding toxin emissions in cement production at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar, it will commission a study into the incidence of cancer or foetal abnormalities in or around the area.
Answer
The Executive is satisfied with the monitoring procedures in place for measuring emissions from the Blue Circle factory at Dunbar and has no plans to commission such a study.
