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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the extended producer responsibility scheme on local economic growth.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and the packaging reforms more broadly.

These reforms, pEPR, Simpler Recycling and the Deposit Return Scheme, will deliver positive environmental and economic benefits, creating 21,000 new jobs in our nations and regions, and stimulating more than £ 10 billion investment in recycling capability over the next decade.