Sarah Edwards

The Government has concluded a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23). We published a statement of the rapid review’s key findings on 30 January 2025. Publication of the revised EIP will follow later this year.

Defra officials have engaged extensively with the glass sector in developing these reforms since 2019.

Minister Creagh met with British Glass on 21 October 2024 and attended a glass re-use roundtable hosted by the British Beer & Pub Association on 14 January. Minister Creagh and Minister Jones, Minister of State at the both the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department of Business and Trade, met British Glass on the 11th February to discuss points raised by the glass sector in detail.

Defra has responded to concerns from the glass sector about the inclusion of glass in the Deposit Return Scheme, it has remained out of scope as a result. Although packaging weight is a key driver of waste management costs, estimated packaging volumes, not packaging weight, are used to calculate kerbside dry recycling collections costs in pEPR to reflect practical limitations with collection systems. This is especially important for heavier materials such as glass, which would otherwise see higher base fees.

Defra continues to monitor the potential impact of EPR fees on the glass industry through continued engagement and extensive analysis of the packaging market.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

The Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and of improving equine identification and traceability. We have no current plans to implement mandatory digital identification, but we remain in close touch with the industry to look at potential improvements.

Defra also regularly engages with officials in the devolved governments to discuss matters of equine identification and traceability. Officials also share data on equines located in the UK with the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and with the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Republic of Ireland. The majority of equine movements into and out of GB take place between the island of Ireland and GB.

Under packaging extended producer responsibility, packaging producers are only liable for fees that cover the management of packaging waste collected from households. The regulations therefore make a distinction as to what is "household packaging" and what is not, so as to attribute those costs to producers.

The Government recognises the strong public interest in clearer animal welfare information on the food they buy.

A public consultation on fairer food labelling was undertaken between March and May 2024 by the previous Government. This sought views on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling. We are now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will respond to this consultation in due course.

The table below shows volumes of roadside inspections the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has carried out for public service vehicle (PSV) minibuses that had an operator licence recorded. DVSA only holds records for this data as far back as 2019:

DVSA does not record if any school or other type of minibus it inspects, whether at the side of the road or at annual MOT tests for PSVs, are subject to a section 19 permit.

The table below shows volumes of roadside inspections the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has carried out for public service vehicle (PSV) minibuses that had an operator licence recorded. DVSA only holds records for this data as far back as 2019:

DVSA does not record if any school or other type of minibus it inspects, whether at the side of the road or at annual MOT tests for PSVs, are subject to a section 19 permit.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not record if any minibuses it inspects at the side of the road are subject to a section 19 permit. Roadside inspections of minibuses could be completed by DVSA, local Police or local authorities.

The Office for National Statistics estimate that nearly 1 in 8 young people are not in education, employment or training.

This is 872,000 young people, a number which has risen by 74,000 over the last year.

The Prison Mental Healthcare service specification reinforces that prison healthcare, including care for people with mental health problems, should provide excellent, safe, and effective services and interventions to all prisoners, equivalent to the services and interventions available in the community.

It specifies that there should be access to suitable, evidence-based psychological and clinical interventions. The provision of specific clinical interventions should be determined according to appropriate clinical guidance. Accordingly, the service specification is not prescriptive as to the specific mix of psychological therapies which should be provided, with the aim of ensuring a personalised approached is utilised when meeting individual needs.

NHS England is in the process of reviewing and refreshing the Prison Mental Healthcare service specification. The aim of this review is to ensure that high-quality mental health care is provided to patients in prison, and that the specification is current and fit for purpose, taking account of changing patient needs and developments in health and justice and the wider National Health Service.

The following table shows the mental health population by region and as a percentage of the prison population:

Source: NHS England.

These figures are for severe and enduring mental health conditions such as bipolar and schizophrenia, and do not include conditions such as anxiety and depression.

The Government understands the challenges that mortgage prisoners face and will work with regulators and the industry to ensure that this issue is properly considered.

There are significant measures in place to protect vulnerable mortgage borrowers across the mortgage market, including mortgage prisoners. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments in order to provide tailored support. Closed book lenders must also comply with the FCA’s Consumer Duty, which ensures firms prioritise fair treatment and good outcomes for their customers.

Additionally, the Government has a number of measures in place to help people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit; the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS); and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

The National Wealth Fund will invest in pursuit of the government’s growth and clean energy priorities to support the delivery of the Industrial Strategy and Britain’s acceleration to net zero. The National Wealth Fund will continue to invest in the UK Infrastructure Bank’s previous priority sectors, which include transport and clean energy.

Individual investments will be considered on a case-by-case basis in line with the NWF’s mandate and strategic priorities, which can be found on www.uknwf.org.uk.