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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from businesses on the decision of the Environment Agency to close its Definition of Waste Panel to new applications; and what assessment she has made of the effect of that closure on businesses.

Defra and the Environment Agency have received 12 representations from businesses and three from the trade press about the closure of the Definition of Waste Panel. A review of the points made by businesses shows that their main concerns relate to economic effects, business development and innovation.