In the Environmental Audit Committee meeting, Barry interrogated three witnesses: Rebecca Pow MP, (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs); Chris Preston, (Deputy Director of Waste and Recycling, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs); Malcolm Lythgo, (Deputy Director of Waste Enforcement and Regulation, Environment Agency)
Barry started by laying out the need for illegal waste trackers for e-waste in the upcoming Environment Bill. He then went on to ask the witnesses 5 questions. These were:
1) What percentage of approved e-waste treatment facilities did the Environment Agency audit in the last year?
2) How many prosecutions have the Environment Agency enforced this year compared to 5 and 10 yrs ago?
3) What is the budget available to Environment Agency for enforcement and inspection regime, once the budget for flood defence has been taken out?
4) Does the Minister believe the budget is enough for the Environment Agency to be effective?
5) Why has the Government cut funding for the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Sustainability Action Plan, which helped look at how to deliver a more durable product?
You can see the full exchange below: