Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Tony Baldry (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 9 September 2010 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Question: WRAP—which, with great perspicacity, has based itself in Banbury—does good work in developing markets for recyclable materials, but do my ministerial colleagues not feel that it is time to change its governance rules to make it easier for it to lever in, and work in partnership with, the private sector, so that over time private investment and funding can replace public funding?

Answer: As my hon. Friend says, there is a great deal of opportunity for further funding for this whole area. I applaud WRAP's work in promoting the Courtauld commitment and other arrangements with industry. The quick wins obviously involve larger companies such as Sainsbury's, which has come up with some very good ideas about food waste. We must now move on to the difficult stage of dealing with small and medium-sized companies, which will be a priority for the future.

Secondary information