This Is Guernsey

By Nick Mann

ENVIRONMENT minister David De Lisle is on a collision course with his own department over waste. It was sent away nine months ago to reassess projections of how much waste the island will produce in the future but has only just finalised the report, despite assurances that would happen within three months.

In an indication of internal wrangling over the figures, Deputy De Lisle is expected to produce a minority report with a lower projection than his department.

The draft report was discussed by Public Services when it met yesterday as the waste disposal authority.

While the content of the report was not disclosed, it appears it will confirm, or at least be close to, figures rejected by the States in January. The report goes to the Policy Council on Monday for ministers to comment and is expected to be debated next month.

Public Services minister Bill Bell told the authority meeting that Deputy De Lisle was preparing a minority report that he had not seen.

Deputy Public Services minister Tom Le Pelley said: ‘His argument is we need to reduce the amount that needs to be in the calculation rather than go back to the benchmark of what Environment first came back with.’

Deputy De Lisle successfully proposed an amendment to set a 50% recycling target by 2010 and is committed to it.

With that in mind, he believes a waste solution could be smaller than the 70,000-tonne capacity which was mooted in January.

Deputy Ron Le Moignan said that it showed the ‘quick- sand’ the issue was on.

‘It’s pretty dangerous stuff,’ he added.

Deputy Bell said he would take guidance from his officers before Monday’s meeting.

‘I’m concerned about some of the figures they work on here. We will have to wait and see.’

Before the minority report was revealed, Deputy De Lisle insisted that the lack of figures had not held up the process of procuring a waste plant.

‘The Public Services Department has only recently appointed consultants to assist in the preparation of the output-based specification for waste infrastructure,’ said Deputy De Lisle.

‘This is a major piece of work, much of which can be developed in the absence of waste-arising data.

‘As such, Environment does not believe the delay in producing waste-arising figures has impacted on the Public Services Department’s project.’

Article posted on 19th October, 2007 - 12.00am