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 UK retailers are transparent in their accounting of how they spend revenue raised from the plastic bag levy and demonstrate how the revenue is used to support good causes.
The carrier bag charge has been very successful in reducing the number of single-use carrier bags used - which have fallen by 95% for major retailers. Retailers with over 250 staff must keep three years of records, including how many single-use bags have been sold, and how the proceeds have been used. Whilst there is no legal obligation on retailers to donate the charge, Defra encourages doing so and publishes a summary including the amounts of money given to good causes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carrier-bag-charge-summary-of-data-in-england Retailers have donated nearly £190 million to good causes from the charge since its introduction.