Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
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 is taking to ensure a level playing field between companies who export plastic recycling and UK based plastic reprocessors.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The export of waste is subject to strict controls set out in UK legislation. Facilities receiving UK waste must be operated in accordance with human health and environmental protection standards that are broadly equivalent to those established in UK legislation.
Defra is committed to building a circular economy that enhances growth and capitalises on the UK’s potential in plastic processing, whilst realising our environmental objectives. The Government’s collection and packaging reforms will help to stimulate investment in the UK reprocessing infrastructure.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent the closure of mechanical recycling sites.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – will help stimulate investment in recycling services across the UK.
Defra is working with HMT on Plastic Packaging Tax reform, to further incentivise producers to use recycled plastic, stimulating demand.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
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 25 July 2025 to Question 68895 on WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: Conferences, what decision his Department has made on the Senior Civil Servant grades that will attend as part of the UK delegation to the World Health Organisation Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties by (a) job title and (b) name.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our position on vaping is clear, that it is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective tool to help adults to stop smoking, but that non-smokers and young people should never vape. The Government has regularly set out this position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will continue do so at the upcoming conference.
Officials in the Department attended the European Region Pre-Cop meeting. These were informative sessions, and the United Kingdom did not make any interventions at these meetings. We have not yet confirmed the UK’s delegation with the World Health Organization. We are aiming to do so shortly.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will be attending the European Regional Summit ahead of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties on (a) 14 and (b)16 October 2025; and if his Department will share its position with Parliament ahead of the meeting.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our position on vaping is clear, that it is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective tool to help adults to stop smoking, but that non-smokers and young people should never vape. The Government has regularly set out this position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will continue do so at the upcoming conference.
Officials in the Department attended the European Region Pre-Cop meeting. These were informative sessions, and the United Kingdom did not make any interventions at these meetings. We have not yet confirmed the UK’s delegation with the World Health Organization. We are aiming to do so shortly.