Written question asked by Patrick Nicholls (Conservative) on Monday, 13 November 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 November 2000. It was answered by Patricia Hewitt (Labour) on Monday, 20 November 2000 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what assessment he has made of the cost of the Waste Packaging Regulations to (a) consumers and (b) business.

Answer: Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the cost of the Waste Packaging Regulations to (a) consumers and (b) business. [138497] Ms Hewitt: Assessments of the costs of these Regulations have been made at every stage of their development. In August 2000, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions published a consultation paper on the recovery and recycling targets in the Regulations. This paper included a draft Regulatory Impact Assessment which estimated that the cost to the UK for 2001 would be in the region of £150 million. It is for businesses to decide what proportion of these costs will be passed on to consumers.

Secondary information