John Baron

Conservative Party | Billericay and District

Points of View

Waste Recycling

Most of us recognise that waste recycling is important, and yet Government funding does not match its rhetoric. 

I recently questioned Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for the Environment, in Parliament over a recent Environmental Audit Committee report which has stated that the UK will not come even close to meeting any of its recycling targets because of a lack of funding.

This is serious because failure to meet these targets could result in large EU fines and incinerators being forced on local communities regardless of their wishes.

Margaret Beckett replied that the Government was increasing funding to Councils, but yet again there is a fair element of spin with this statement.

For example, although the Government has given Essex County Council an extra £5½ million to boost waste recycling over the next 2½ years - this only represents a 10% increase on the £55 million Essex County Council already spends on Waste Management.

Contrast the amount of this extra funding with the fact that, despite Essex County Council being one of the leaders when it comes to recycling, the target set by the Government for the County's recycling rate is that it should rise from the present level of 23% to 33% by 2005/06 - a near 50% increase.

Clearly, the increased funding is inadequate particularly bearing in mind that increasing the recycling rate becomes harder as the Council starts to collect fringe materials and targets the more difficult properties such as flats.

Supporting our troops

Although I voted against the war in Iraq, as Parliament decided to send our troops into battle it is only right that they should have been properly equipped for the task - as an ex-infantryman I can testify just how important good equipment is to morale. 

However, a recent National Audit Office Report has suggested there were major deficiencies in the supply of vital equipment - which is disgraceful.

For example, given that the Governments main justification for war was that Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), it is astounding to learn that the operational filters needed to protect Challenger 2 Tanks from radiological, chemical and biological attack were not delivered to front line units until months after the war finished.

This lack of attention to the welfare of our Armed Forces is worrying, and was further illustrated by a recent Defence Select Committee report which was critical of the Governments proposals to make it harder for ex-servicemen to claim war pensions.

This Government must fully support our service personnel, by ensuring that serving members are adequately equipped and that past members are properly rewarded.