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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of effectiveness the US ban on microbeads on her Department's policy on microbeads.

Defra is aware of the proposed US ban on microbeads and has considered those proposals in developing the UK approach. In addition our proposals have been informed by information from the cosmetics industry, environmental groups, researchers in marine microplastic pollution and counterparts in neighbouring countries. We are currently running a consultation on our proposals. The consultation ends on 28th February 2017.