Speeches

Lord Marlesford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 10 November (HL3150) about littering, when they expect to (1) start, and (2) complete, the process of seeking the views of local authorities about the size of the fine, the form and content of the penalty notice and exemptions to the keeper’s liability, and other details that need to be finalised before they implement section 54 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

As set out in our manifesto, we will review the case for increasing the fines for littering, and will begin a consultation on this later this year. The outcome of this work will inform the potential level of any civil penalty for littering from a vehicle.

We plan to begin working with councils early next year to understand better their current enforcement practices and resources, and the barriers to effective enforcement. This will help us to consider the practicalities of implementation of any new regulatory approach (including any necessary exemptions to keepers’ liability). It will also help us to assess the new burdens on councils that would be associated with establishing a new civil penalties regime. Appropriate funding to cover any new burdens would have to be agreed before any regulations can be made.