Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support cross-border businesses with the potential impacts of the inclusion of glass in the deposit return scheme in Wales.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government demonstrated in our recent review of the UK Internal Market Act our commitment to work with devolved governments to manage effectively the UK internal market for the benefit of business and citizens across the country. The UK government’s regulations for a Deposit Return Scheme enable the Deposit Management Organisation to work in an interoperable way with other deposit return schemes in the UK.
We continue to engage with industry and the Welsh Government to consider how the proposed Welsh deposit return scheme may impact on businesses across the UK.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of net zero policies on Scotland's oil and gas sector.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
I’m due to be in Aberdeen next week to meet a range of North Sea oil and gas operators.
The Government is clear that Scotland’s oil and gas industry will remain part of our energy system for decades to come.
We are also strengthening our energy security and making Scotland home to the green jobs of the future by investing in homegrown clean power through GB Energy.
GB Energy is already investing in Scottish renewables. This includes an investment of £200 million in solar and renewable energy projects on public buildings across the country, and in June, GB Energy also pledged £300 million of investment in offshore wind supply chains, as part of a £1 billion package in collaboration with industry and the Crown Estate.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6874 on Brain: Diseases, whether his Department plans to update the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence or emerging issues not in the scope of the original guideline.
NICE has no plans to review or update its guideline on Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, code NG127, at this time.
NICE maintains surveillance of new evidence that may affect its published guidance and would consult on any proposed changes with a wide range of stakeholders if significant new evidence was to emerge.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of operating different deposit return scheme frameworks in different parts of the UK on costs for (a) producers and (b) retailers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A new organisation called UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) will run the scheme. It’s a not-for-profit group, led by businesses. They were officially appointed in May 2025 (England & NI) and June 2025 (Scotland).
The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland have been designed with interoperability in mind to ensure the schemes look and feel like one scheme in all three nations.
I and my officials remain in close working partnership with the Welsh Government as they develop further detail of their scheme, and it is reassuring that they have decided to align their scheme launch date with DRS in the rest of the UK.
Government will continue to work closely across the sector, and now with UK DMO, to ensure the smooth implementation of the DRS for businesses and consumers. We will also maintain regular engagement with retailers, producers and interested groups to monitor implementation progress.
Each nation has or will set out the costs of their schemes in their respective impact assessments. The full impact assessment for England and Northern Ireland was published when the regulations came into force in January of this year and can be found here.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department taking to ensure that the Deposit Management Organisation can operate effectively in the context of the Welsh government’s decision to proceed with a scheme that includes glass.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The regulations allow the Deposit Management Organisation(s) for England and Northern Ireland to work in an interoperable way with any other deposit return schemes.
We previously published agreed interoperability requirements which would ensure that schemes can operate as one, including commitments to single registration and reporting, processes for reciprocal takeback of material, single logos and the same deposit level. These requirements currently apply for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Officials are working closely with the Welsh Government as they develop their regulations to ensure interoperability between the schemes where possible.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the inclusion of glass in the Welsh government's deposit return scheme on businesses in other parts of the UK.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government acknowledges the concerns raised by businesses in relation to differences in approach to Deposit Return Scheme across the UK. We will continue to engage with the Welsh Government on this matter as they finalise their policy positions and legislation. The Welsh Government will be responsible for developing an impact assessment of their scheme.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether she has had recent discussions with the Welsh government on the potential impact of including (a) glass and (b) a reuse element in its deposit return scheme on cross-border businesses.
Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales
The UK Government has regular discussions with the Welsh Government on the deposit return scheme, including through the Resources and Waste Common Framework.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Welsh government on the interoperability of its deposit return scheme with the schemes in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I and my officials remain in close working partnership with the Welsh Government as they develop further details of their scheme, with particular consideration of interoperability with DRS in the rest of the UK.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had on the future role of Nursing Associates within the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions on the future role of Nursing Associates specifically. The Government is committed to publishing a 10-Year Workforce Plan which will create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. We are working through how the Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential impact of the deposit return scheme that will be used in (a) Wales and (b) the rest of the UK on the (i) economy and (ii) environment.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government published a Final Impact Assessment for the deposit return scheme (DRS) in England and Northern Ireland alongside the regulations in January 2025.