Illegal waste operations

That this House welcomes the Government’s Waste Crime Action Plan and the decision to provide the Environment Agency (EA) with enhanced funding, strengthened enforcement mechanisms, and the capacity to intervene more decisively; notes that more clarity is required regarding the EA’s expanded enforcement budget and wider use of restriction orders to support efforts to ensure restoration and clean up proceeds; further notes that the Ash Pits site in South Elmsall, in Normanton and Hemsworth constituency, has been formally identified by the EA as an illegal waste operation but there is growing concern that restoration and clean up will not be honoured; highlights concerns that if an operator enters bankruptcy or insolvency, they may be able to avoid the financial and legal responsibility to restore the site, noting precedents of companies deliberately using insolvency as a means to evade environmental obligations, as doing so can be more cost-effective than fulfilling their duties; and calls on the Government to ensure operators like the one in Normanton and Hemsworth constituency cannot exploit regulatory gaps or delays to avoid restoring the land as required.