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 exemption arrangements under the Deposit Return Scheme are accessible to rural retailers.

The regulations set out rules requiring all grocery retailers that sell drinks that are included in the scheme to host a return point, unless they qualify for an exemption.

Retailers, including those in rural communities, will be able to apply to the deposit management organisation, Exchange for Change, for an exemption to operating a return point on their premises if they qualify under the relevant criteria. These include being in close proximity to another return point or not having suitable premises for operating a return point safely.