To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps he plans to take to tackle the effect on the environment of cremation; (99855)

Crematoria are regulated by local authorities under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 (PPC). As such, they are subject to the provisions and limit values for all key emissions using the best available techniques (BAT). Statutory guidance on BAT is set out in DEFRA's Process Guidance Note PG5/2, which was reviewed and revised in 2004 and can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/pgnotes/pdf/pg5-02.pdf.

Considerable improvements have already been made to crematoria emissions under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which the PPC Regulations now replace. The latest guidance is aimed at reducing mercury emissions from all crematoria by 50 per cent. by the end of 2012, using an innovative burden sharing approach developed with the sector. I announced on 19 October, in a departmental press notice, our findings that the approach was proving successful, although we will be continuing to monitor the situation.

I am pleased to be able to announce that we will be issuing revised guidance to local authority regulators that we consider a lower temperature of 800^oC, rather than 850^oC, to be adequate to deal with emissions where crematoria are fitted with abatement equipment to achieve our required 50 per cent. reduction in mercury emissions. This will help reduce fuel usage and CO₂ emissions. We will be discussing further with the cremation sector how to obtain evidence of whether any similar measures can be taken for crematoria not fitted with abatement, without compromising environmental protection.

The UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory does not report figures for any direct emissions of greenhouse gases from crematoria.