Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on academies.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government’s mission is clear: to break down barriers to opportunity by driving high and rising standards delivered through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum, and a system which removes the barriers to learning that hold too many children back. All underpinned by strong and clear accountability.

This is why we introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, to give every family the certainty that they will be able to access a good local school for their child, where they can achieve and thrive, regardless of where they live.

Through this Bill, we are creating a floor for all schools but placing no ceiling on what they can achieve, enabling healthy competition and innovation beyond a core framework to improve all schools.

The department published updated impact assessments on the Bill’s measures on 21 March on GOV.UK. These include assessments of the impact on all types of school, including academies. It is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-impact-assessments.

Where measures are in scope, assessments follow the Better Regulation Framework, and we have received a ‘Green’ rating from the Regulatory Policy Committee.

The department will continue to develop the Impact Assessments throughout the passage of the bill and undertake post-implementation reviews.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that local authorities use funds from the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme solely for waste management and environmental purposes.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on (a) local economic growth and (b) the financial resilience of local authorities.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and the packaging reforms more broadly, will deliver both positive environmental and economic benefits, supporting 21,000 jobs in our nations and regions, and stimulating more than 10 billion pounds investment in recycling capability over the next decade. The impact of pEPR on local economic growth has not been assessed.

Local government in England is expected to receive over £1 billion of new funding in 2025-26 through the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging scheme.

The government will guarantee that if local authorities in England do not receive Extended Producer Responsibility income in line with their November 2024 payment estimates in the first year of the scheme (2025-26), they will provide an in-year top up.

This funding will cover the existing costs local authorities incur for managing household packaging waste, provide additional funding for new legal duties, and support much needed investment in the waste and recycling industry.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government has listened to feedback from small businesses and introduced support measures to help compliance with EPR, including: exemptions from fee obligations for producers with annual turnover below £2 million and packaging tonnage below 50 tonnes; exemptions from reporting for businesses with turnover below £1 million and packaging tonnage below 25 tonnes; and flexibility for those with obligations to pay in quarterly instalments.

Both Secretaries of State will shortly be meeting representatives from across the impacted sectors, from Small and Medium Enterprises to larger companies alike, to discuss the economic impact of EPR in more detail.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve energy efficiency across her Department's estate.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have interpreted this to refer to measures undertaken across the Department’s estate in support of broader sustainability and decarbonisation objectives.

DWP is forecast to achieve the challenging energy efficiency related targets set out in the Greening Government Commitments (GGC), which finished in April 2025. While we await final clearance on the latest iteration GGC framework, we continue to prioritise energy efficiency across our operational estate.

The DWPs strategy for improving energy efficiency includes:

• Strategic asset acquisition – Ensuring energy performance is a key consideration in the procurement and leasing of new assets.
• Decarbonising existing estate – Through technologies such as solar PV, decarbonisation of heating systems, LED lighting upgrades, minimum design standards for all works undertaken and building management system (BMS) enhancements.
• Operational optimisation – Including active monitoring, smart controls, management system development and behavioural interventions to reduce consumption and improve performance.

Looking ahead to this financial year, we intend to expand and accelerate these activities, subject to available resources, building on successful projects and continuing to embed energy efficiency as a core principle of our estate strategy

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) pubs and (b) other businesses are not charged twice for glass recycling under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. Despite considering multiple approaches, a consensus on a single approach that works for all sectors and within the bounds of legal and regulatory requirements, was not reached. We are continuing to engage with sectors on a way forward and on assessing the tonnages of packaging any amendment might affect in the hospitality sector and in other sectors. We are planning next steps as a priority.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether pubs that have already paid for glass recycling will be reimbursed for Extended Producer Responsibility charges.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. Despite considering multiple approaches, a consensus on a single approach that works for all sectors and within the bounds of legal and regulatory requirements, was not reached. We are continuing to engage with sectors on a way forward and on assessing the tonnages of packaging any amendment might affect in the hospitality sector and in other sectors. We are planning next steps as a priority.