Question

To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will introduce a charge of 25p for disposable cups on the parliamentary estate; what assessment the Commission has made of the potential merits of the recommendations made in the reports of the Environmental Audit Committee on plastic bottles and coffee cups, HC339 and HC 657, published on 22 December 2017 and 5 January 2018 respectively; and if he will make a statement.

Following recommendations made to all public sector bodies in the Environmental Audit Committee’s Report, ‘Plastic Bottles: Turning back the plastic tide’, the House Service is currently reviewing the sustainability and environmental management of single use disposable plastics in the House of Commons.

A paper is to be submitted for discussion at the Administration Committee in March 2018 outlining the initiatives that can be taken forward to reduce the consumption of single use disposable plastics on the estate and increase recycling rates of all waste materials. I will ensure that the hon. Member’s suggestion is conveyed to the Committee.