News

It has been announced that Northern Ireland's gas installer registration scheme will be operated by the Gas Safe Register from 1 April 2010. News of the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI's) decision to follow the rest of the UK has been welcomed by Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association (HVCA) trade bodies, who had raised concerns that their members who operate in Northern Ireland and on the mainland would have been forced to pay two registration fees.

The Gas Safe Register replaced the CORGI gas registration scheme in England, Scotland and Wales on 1 April 2009. Northern Ireland will however retain CORGI until April 2010. Many had feared Northern Ireland would devise a separate scheme managed by CORGI. Blane Judd, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) commented, "Having two systems would have caused confusion and allowed unscrupulous plumbers and heating engineers to get away with all sorts of unacceptable practices. This is a victory for public safety and common sense."

Gas installers, suppliers, trade bodies and consumers took park in a HSE NI consultation exercise which ended on 30 April 2009. The HSE NI offered two options for the province's 720 registered gas operatives from April 2010: adopting the UK's Gas Safe Register or devising a stand-alone scheme for Northern Ireland, which would have been managed by CORGI.

A statement from the HSE NI said, "The overwhelming opinion from our consultation was that we align with the arrangements in Great Britain and appoint Gas Safe Register as the body approved to register gas installers for work in Northern Ireland. This move is in parallel with an increase in the inspection team in the Gas Safety unit, aimed at ensuring the highest level of safety for gas consumers."

See also

For further information, refer to the:

• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) SR 2004/63.

Drinks importer the Red Bull Company Limited has been handed a record fine of £261,278 for packaging waste offences. The London-based company pleaded guilty this month at Southwark Crown Court to a total of 16 charges, of failing to register with the Environment Agency as a producer of packaging waste and of failing to meet its requirements to recycle packaging waste for eight years between 1999 and 2006.

Alongside its fine, the company was also ordered to pay £3,755 in costs to the Agency and £6,854 for unpaid registration fees for the years in question. The fine overtakes the previous highest of £225,000 which was imposed in January 2009 on Telford-based Western Wines, after the company also failed to register as a producer of packaging waste.

Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations SI 2007/871, businesses which have an annual turnover in excess of £2 million and handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging each year, must be registered with the Agency or a compliance scheme. Each year, obligated businesses must also provide evidence of payment for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste.

Red Bull approached the Agency on 8 July 2007 to say it was not registered with them or a compliance scheme. The company then co-operated and attended an interview under caution on 12 March 2008 where it admitted its turnover and packaging handled was more than the threshold limits allowed by the regulations. By not registering it was estimated that Red Bull made a saving of more than £180,000.

Agency officer Helen Pavlou said, "While it is encouraging that the Red Bull Company came to us when they realised their mistake, it is disappointing that there are still companies that are not compliant with this important legislation more than a decade after it was passed. Money raised from compliance is invested in the recycling industry, so failure to comply by Red Bull and other companies means there is less invested than there should be."

Consumers will have to pay more for their batteries because of the new battery regulations, an industry expert has suggested. Recycling firm WasteCare chief executive Peter Hunt claims that manufacturers will have to increase the price of batteries to cover their collection and competitive costs.

His comments come after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published an advisory note entitled "Storage and transport of portable batteries", which aims to assist stakeholders, retailers and collectors in understanding what they need to do when collecting and transporting waste batteries.

From 1 February 2010, retailers who sell 32kg of batteries or more per year are obliged to provide take-back facilities for consumers. The Department for Transport has introduced rules for the transport by road of up to 333kg of mixed waste batteries. Retailers will not be allowed to carry more than 333kg of waste batteries in their vans which take them to recycling facilities. If they wish to carry more than 333kg then they will have to comply with the full carriage of dangerous goods by road legislation (ADR).

Hunt commented, "Unlike the rest of Europe, we have four separate versions of the same regulations. Retailers, collectors and recyclers of batteries are faced with different interpretations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And the confusion doesn't end there. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has only just announced that the Buxton H&S Laboratories are soon to begin research into the best storage and handling methods for batteries. The problem is that we do not know when they will give us the results and it will certainly not be before next February.

See also

For further information, refer to the:

• Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations SI 2009/890.

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) has been fined £2,000 for discharging untreated sewage into Belfast Lough, near Ballyholme Beach in Bangor. The offence happened in August 2007, when the pollution was found to be coming from a pumping station at Luke's Point by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

Further investigation found that the water company had been carrying out maintenance work on the pumping station and had temporarily diverted the sewage flow to a storm tank, which had overflowed and caused the pollution. The NIEA said it had been particularly concerned about this incident as it occurred close to an identified bathing water area.

Local DUP assembly member Peter Weir said the natural environment had to be protected from pollution. He said, "It is particularly disturbing that a body such as NIW, which is connected to the government, is guilty of such an offence." However, Mr Weir believes the prosecution of such a government-connected body by another government department demonstrates the system of holding wrongdoers to account is working. He commented, "Today's prosecution should act as a warning shot to government bodies and private companies alike that active pursuit will be made of polluters, and that the principle of polluter pays will be followed through."

NIW said the fact that the pumping station was more than 70 years old had contributed to the spill. In a statement, the company said it took its responsibility to the environment "extremely seriously" and was working to reduce such occurrences. It said it is was confident its investment programme would ensure such incidents would become less common, stating it had, "Invested over £145,000 to address the problems caused by the ageing infrastructure at Luke's Point. Additional improvement work is also planned within the company's Capital Works Programme."

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 received Royal Assent on 4 August 2009, and establishes a statutory framework through which Scotland will aim to reduce its future greenhouse gas emissions.

The Act sets an 80% emissions reduction target for 2050, and an interim target reduction of 42% for 2020. In order to attain these figures, the Scottish Ministers are required to set annual targets for emissions reductions from 2010 to 2050. They must also establish a Scottish Committee on Climate Change, or designate an existing public body to advise on issues such as annual emissions targets and to report on progress made towards them. Reports on this progress must also be made to the Scottish Parliament, and the Scottish Ministers have the power to vary the 2020 interim target, if necessary.

Although a number of greenhouse gases fall under the scope of the Act, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydroflurocarbons, perflurocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride, provision is made for adding other gases and modifying the description of a gas, when its contribution to climate change has been recognised at European or international level.

The Act also requires the Scottish Ministers to adopt programmes for the adaptation to climate change, land use strategies, plans to promote and improve energy efficiency and plans to promote renewable heat. Details are also established for the promotion of waste reduction measures and recycling, through the introduction of waste prevention and waste management plans. A duty is also placed on Scottish Water to promote water conservation and efficiency.

Energy Minister Arlene Foster is seeking views on the draft Bioenergy Action Plan, which sets out how Northern Ireland can capitalise on natural energy resources. Bioenergy is an organic based resource that can be grown or collected, including energy crops, wood products, farm by-products and food processing waste.

The Minister commented, "The publication of this first cross departmental draft action plan sets out how bioenergy can make an increased contribution to a more sustainable energy future in Northern Ireland. The successful and sustainable development of bioenergy has the potential to contribute to security of supply, deliver carbon emission reductions, provide business and employment opportunities as well as contributing to the challenging renewable energy targets proposed within the draft Strategic Energy Framework 2009, which was launched for consultation last month."

In similar news, a new policy statement outlining Northern Ireland's plans to encourage the development of renewable energy projects has been published by Environment Minister Edwin Poots. The document entitled Planning Policy Statement 18 (PPS 18), explains Northern Ireland's attempts to develop such projects at suitable locations throughout the country.

Mr Poots said, "Renewable energy development will not only help the environment - it can provide significant opportunities for local firms to use their extensive skills and knowledge base to develop a local renewable energy industry. By creating jobs, the increased use of renewable energy provides opportunities for rural diversification and for the alternative use of agricultural land in the production of renewable energy crops."