I have been asked to reply.
No additional funding has been provided by my Department. However, the Government have prepared for possible consequences of England going Smokefree on 1 July, including the potential increase in smoking-related litter.
In May this year, the Government published guidance for local authorities on smoking litter prevention, which was sent to all authorities in England. DEFRA has also funded four smoking litter campaigns for the current financial year. These campaigns have been organised by Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), the organisation that runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
Central to this work is the issue of behaviour change. If smokers refrained from discarding their cigarette butts on the street, smoking-related litter would not be a problem. This is why, through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, we took the opportunity to clarify that smoking-related litter is in fact litter. As a consequence, anyone disposing of a cigarette butt is committing a littering offence, punishable with a fixed penalty notice fine or prosecution in the magistrates court. The Government continue to encourage local authorities to use their powers in this regard to take action, where appropriate, against those discarding smoking-related litter.
We are also in the process of amending the Street Litter Control Notices Order 1991 to extend the types of premises currently falling within the scope of the Street Litter Control Notice provisions. This will enable them to be used against places which may attract outside smokers, including pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes and other eating and drinking venues. It is intended to commence this power on 1 July 2007. When there is a suitable opportunity, we also intend to amend both primary and secondary legislation so that Street Litter Control Notices can also be used in respect of offices.
In instances where a partnership approach to deal with a litter or refuse problem has failed, Street Litter Control Notices can be used by local authorities to set out what can reasonably be required of the occupier of the premises in question to minimise the detrimental impact of their operation—for example, providing bins and keeping a defined area clear of litter, including smoking-related litter.