Skip navigation | Accessibility and accesskey details | Sitemap

UK National Audit Office publications

Work in Progress: PFI in the waste sector

Synopsis

The European Union introduced a Directive in 1999 requiring all Member States to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste disposed in landfill, with targets set for the years 2010, 2013 and 2020. Failure to achieve the targets will result in fines being levied by the European Commission.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for ensuring that these landfill targets are met at a national level. As part of this, Defra is overseeing a programme of new locaI authority PFI contracts for the construction of waste treatment facilities. Defra is also responsible for developing the market for these projects, providing guidance and oversight to assist the local authority procurements and approving the central government funding support for these projects. So far, 17 PFI contracts have been signed, 6 are in procurement and 12 projects are at an early stage of development.

Our review will focus on Defra’s role in seeking to promote the achievement of value for money from the waste PFI programme, the progress being made in delivering new local authority waste projects and good practice in the development of these programmes.

Publication Schedule

We intend to publish our report in winter 2008.

Members of the NAO Team

Email above personnel through our enquiries desk, marking your email for their attention

Media contacts: Phil Groves
Press Office
T: 020 7798 5339
M: 07770 678477
Email Phil Groves through our enquiries desk; please mark your email for her attention