Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the Fifth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of 2023-24 on Government’s programme of waste reforms, HC333, published on 1 December 2023.

The Government intends to implement the recommendations set out in the report, of which a number have already been implemented by the programme. Due to the General Election and subsequent change in Government earlier in the year, the strategic landscape that the programme is part of has changed and therefore the Government is reviewing some of the intended target dates for the implementation of the recommendations to ensure that they align with the Governments Missions. The Government is committed to ensuring successful implementation of the Collection and Packaging Reforms as set out in the Autumn budget presented to the House in October. These reforms remain intrinsic to providing the sector much needed certainty to encourage future investment, along with a transition towards a Circular Economy.