Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1665070

registered interest
date	16/10/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) disposable plastic plates and cutlery, (b) polystyrene containers, and (c) balloon sticks that were sold in England in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	202763
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2023 answer text <p>No annual sales estimates have been made for these items since 2010. However, further information on estimated sales can be found in our published Impact Assessments on legislation.gov.uk:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.legislation.gov.uk%2Fuksi%2F2023%2F982%2Fimpacts&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C0d9b2c47aad84de5612008dbd16075ab%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638333984446825072%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=tOaZUkQ103KsjKnQKNaToZaoss4JgjOJ5Z7JNW0hf4w%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">The Environmental Protection (Plastic Plates etc. and Polystyrene Containers etc.) (England) Regulations 2023 - Impact Assessment (legislation.gov.uk)</a></p><p><a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.legislation.gov.uk%2Fuksi%2F2020%2F971%2Fimpacts&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C0d9b2c47aad84de5612008dbd16075ab%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638333984446825072%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=%2Fjye1qdAv0cIFAs1JIQ1Z6JcV89KYNkXTPigvDyssLA%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">The Environmental Protection (Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds and Stirrers) (England) Regulations 2020 - Impact Assessment (legislation.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 202762 202764 202765 question first answered 24/10/2023 14:54:33 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1628155

registered interest
date	16/05/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the growth of (a) the agricultural industry and (b) population on the use of single-use plastics.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	185220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2023 answer text <p>No assessment has been made. However, we note that the OECD’s Global Plastic Outlook predicts that population growth is a significant factor contributing to increased global plastic usage by 2060.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 15/06/2023 15:33:01 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1587195

registered interest
date	20/02/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of offering (a) financial incentives and (b) introducing a tax to encourage the use of biomass plastic; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
uin	148672
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2023 answer text <p>No.</p><p> </p><p>Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. Our position on this was set out in the response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics in April 2021.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 148674 question first answered 24/02/2023 11:55:33 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1587197

registered interest
date	20/02/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of running a publicity campaign to raise awareness of biomass plastics as an alternative to regular plastics; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Eastbourne
tabling member printed	Caroline Ansell
uin	148674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2023 answer text <p>No.</p><p> </p><p>Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. Our position on this was set out in the response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics in April 2021.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 148672 question first answered 24/02/2023 11:55:33 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4512 label Biography information for Caroline Ansell

1459225

registered interest
date	21/04/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will include a target to reduce the UK’s single use plastic by 50 per cent by 2025 in the Consultation on environmental targets.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	157478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2022 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/04/2022 11:37:31 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1419151

registered interest
date	02/02/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the sustainability of (a) pyrolysis or (b) gasification as a means of processing thin plastic films.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	117069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/02/2022 answer text <p>My Department has not conducted any dedicated assessment of the sustainability of Advanced Thermal Treatments, including pyrolysis and gasification, as a means of processing waste plastic film. Defra seeks to prevent waste occurring in the first place and, where it does occur, prioritise waste for reuse and recycling over energy recovery, including gasification and pyrolysis. Government is bringing forward several measures to increase recycling of plastic waste, including Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, consistent recycling collections for England, a deposit return scheme for drinks containers, and a Plastic Packaging Tax.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 10/02/2022 17:07:34 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1400310

registered interest
date	06/01/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of banning all non-essential single-use plastic in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	99023
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2022 answer text <p>Plastic is an extremely useful material and when used in the right way and disposed of correctly, it can help us deliver the best environmental outcome. For example, we have seen how useful it can be for medical and clinical purposes as it is strong, flexible and light-weight. However, where the evidence supports the case, we will not hesitate to introduce bans and other measures to limit its use, as we have done with single-use plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds. Such an approach will continue to be applied to our upcoming policy measures, like our proposed ban of single-use plastic plates, cutlery and polystyrene food and drinks containers, to ensure we have the best overall impact on our natural environment.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 12/01/2022 13:41:03 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1382612

registered interest
date	25/11/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to reduce the use of plastics during the remainder of the UK's COP presidency.
tabling member constituency	Don Valley
tabling member printed	Nick Fletcher
uin	904502
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2021 answer text <p>Tackling plastic pollution was a priority before our COP presidency, and will continue to be after it concludes. The single-use carrier bag charge has led to a 95% reduction in the consumption of these bags in the main supermarkets- and earlier this year we extended it to all retailers. We are consulting right now on plans to go further, and extend restrictions on single-use plastics to plates, cutlery and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and drinks containers. In April 2022, we will introduce the plastic packaging tax – significantly incentivising plastic recycling. The world-leading Environment Act will allow us to do more still – with Extended Producer Responsibility schemes to ensure polluters pay, Deposit Return schemes to cut littering and boost plastic bottle recycling, and Consistent Collections to make recycling plastic, and other materials, easier for householders. Taken together, this is an exciting and comprehensive package of measures to make a real and lasting difference.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 01/12/2021 17:08:10 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4832 label Biography information for Nick Fletcher

1364321

registered interest
date	28/10/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of single-use plastics.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
tabling member printed	Stuart Anderson
uin	65507
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2021 answer text <p>The Government's 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. The Resources and Waste Strategy, published December 2018, sets out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy where resources are kept in the system for as long as possible.</p><p> </p><p>In October 2020, we introduced measures to restrict the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds. The single-use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags by the main supermarkets, has also been increased to 10p and extended to all retailers. We will be consulting later this year on banning a range of single-use plastic items, including single-use plastic plates, cutlery, and polystyrene cups. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic.</p><p> </p><p>Our Environment Bill will enable us to change significantly the way that we manage our waste and take forward a number of proposals from the Resources and Waste Strategy, which will reduce consumption of single-use plastic further. The Bill includes key powers to create Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes; introduce Deposit Return Schemes (DRS); and establish greater consistency in the recycling system. Furthermore, from April 2022, plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled content will be subject to a tax of £200/tonne. Further details on the development of this tax can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax/plastic-packaging-tax#detailed-proposal" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax/plastic-packaging-tax#detailed-proposal</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has put together a package of over £100 million for research and innovation to tackle the issues that arise from plastic waste. £38 million was set aside through the Plastics Research and Innovation Fund, the last funding competition of which opened in June 2020. The Government has also committed £60 million of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, alongside a £150 million investment from industry, towards the development of smart, sustainable plastic packaging (SSPP), which will aim to make the UK a world leader in sustainable packaging for consumer products.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 05/11/2021 16:23:35 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4742 label Biography information for Stuart Anderson

1344648

registered interest
date	07/07/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Plastics
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimates his Department has made of the (a) ranking of the UK in the international table of plastic produced per head of population, (b) proportion of plastic waste recycled within the UK and (c) reasons for the level of recycling (i) overall and (ii) within the UK; what steps his Department has taken to recycle plastic waste since 2010; what the results were of implementing such plans; and if he will make it his policy to (A) formulate and (B) implement a nationwide policy on reduction of single-use plastic products.
tabling member constituency	New Forest East
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Lewis
uin	28926
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2021 answer text <p>In our 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government has already set out its policy of eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042, which will include avoidable single-use plastic waste. In December 2018 we published the Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy and keep resources in the system for as long as possible. We know more needs to be done, and for the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we have committed to work towards all plastic packaging on the market being recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.</p><p> </p><p>We have made significant progress on reducing single-use plastic products. In October 2020, we introduced measures to restrict the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The single-use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in the use of single-use carrier bags by the main supermarkets, has been increased to 10p and extended to all retailers to encourage customers to bring their own bags to carry shopping and reduce the volumes of single-use plastic being used. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products, including problematic packaging materials. However, we must think carefully about introducing bans and other policy solutions to avoid unintended consequences, such as a switch to another single-use material. To note, waste and environmental policy is a devolved area and therefore devolved administrations are taking their own approach.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst plastic appears separately in some of our published data sets, we do not hold statistics for all plastic waste. Plastic waste contained within the residual waste stream will appear in mixed waste categories.</p><p> </p><p>We do publish information on the amount of plastic packaging that is recycled. The latest figures are for 2018 and the amount of plastic packaging recycled was 43.8%. From April 2022, plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled content will be subject to a tax of £200/tonne. The tax will provide a clear economic incentive for businesses to use recycled material in the manufacture of plastic packaging, which will create greater demand for this material. In turn, this will stimulate increased levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste, diverting it away from landfill or incineration. Further details on the development of this tax can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax-from-april-2022/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax-from-april-2022/introduction-of-plastic-packaging-tax-2021</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has not made a recent estimate of how the UK compares internationally regarding plastic production per capita.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 12/07/2021 16:13:22 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis