The Government published an updated assessment in October 2024 of the impact of introducing packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) on packaging producers as a whole. That assessment did not provide a separate assessment of impacts on the hospitality sector.

We are aware of concerns about packaging that is disposed of through commercial waste streams and continue to work with stakeholders on this issue.

pEPR payments are intended to support and fund the efficient and effective management of household packaging waste by local authorities. Commercial waste collection and recycling arrangements sit outside the purpose of those payments.

Defra is assessing the potential impact of forthcoming amendments to the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) regulations.

The amendments are intended to improve the operation of the scheme, including by clarifying aspects of producer obligations, and strengthening transparency and oversight in the Packaging Waste Recycling Note and Packaging Waste Export Recycling Note systems.

The Government will set out the relevant assessment when the regulations are brought forward. The Department will also continue to monitor implementation and outcomes through the wider Collection and Packaging Reforms evaluation programme.

The October 2024 impact assessment remains the Government’s published assessment of the impacts of introducing Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and was independently scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), which rated it ‘Green’ and fit-for-purpose.

As the scheme is implemented, Defra and PackUK continue to monitor evidence from scheme delivery, producer reporting, local authority costs, and stakeholder engagement.

Packaging waste recycling targets, met by businesses through their recycling obligations, were set whilst taking account of the expected effects of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) alongside other recycling reforms, including Simpler Recycling.

These reforms are intended to improve the quality and quantity of material collected for recycling. Businesses remain responsible for meeting their packaging recycling obligations, and Defra will continue to monitor evidence from scheme delivery.

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of businesses that have stopped trading due to the extended producer responsibility scheme. The Department for Business and Trade is committed to supporting businesses to start, invest, grow and export through a range of measures, including improving access to finance, reducing barriers to trade, promoting investment, and providing practical support through the Business Growth Service and UK Export Finance.

The scheme is led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is designed to ensure that producers bear the full net costs of managing household packaging waste, thereby supporting increased recycling and a more circular economy.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and related outcomes for a variety of offences, including drink and drug driving, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

Figures relating to where prosecutions were discontinued or discharged are included in published tools but further details about why a case was discontinued and whether it was “thrown out on technicalities” are not held centrally. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 June in response to Question 7530.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 June in response to Question 7530.

We have interpreted ‘conversion rates’ as referring to the proportion of individuals found eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) by integrated care boards (ICBs), following the receipt of a positive CHC gateway ‘checklist’ or through another form of referral for assessment of CHC eligibility.

NHS England is responsible for the oversight of ICBs and engages with them regularly through well-established assurance processes to ensure they carry out their functions.

NHS England monitors CHC eligibility rates by undertaking detailed work to compare ICBs with similar demographics. This includes comparing eligibility, conversion, and referral rates and investigating outliers for drivers of variation.

The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy and healthy life expectancy varying widely both within and between communities. Through our 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to tackling the social determinants of health, improving healthy life expectancy for everyone, and halving the gap between the richest and poorest regions.

The Department works closely with other Government departments, NHS England, and local government to support integrated care systems, including integrated care services, to address the wider determinants of health and to reduce health inequalities at a local level.

The National Health Service’s CORE20PLUS5 approach targets action to reduce health inequalities in the most deprived 20% of the population and improve outcomes for groups that experience the worst access, experience, and outcomes within the NHS. The approach focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement, namely cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory, maternity, and mental health outcomes, in the poorest 20% of the population, along with other disadvantaged population groups identified at a local level.

In addition, we consider that the Carr-Hill formula, the UK’s formula for allocating core funding to general practices (GPs), is outdated, and evidence suggests that GPs serving in deprived parts of England receive on average 9.8% less funding per needs adjusted patient than those in less deprived communities, despite having greater health needs and significantly higher patient-to-GP ratios. This is why we are currently reviewing the formula to ensure that resources are targeted where they are most needed.

The Government is committed to ensuring that as many women and girls as possible have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, whose work includes providing more opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to be active.

Sport England supports the work of the local Active Partnership which covers Woking, Active ​S​urrey, who champion physical activity with local leaders to develop interventions tailored to communities. Alongside this, Sport England invested £47,286 into sports-related projects in the constituency of Woking in 2024/25.

In addition, Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has also inspired millions of women and girls across the country to get active. 1.6 million more women are expected to be active as a result of the campaign by 2028.

Simpler Recycling requires local authorities in England to collect core recyclable waste streams from households, including glass. In our guidance we set an expectation that households should receive an equivalent collection service for recycling as they do for residual waste services. In practice this means collecting directly from households.

Bring banks should only be provided to supplement collections from households.

The Government is committed to ensuring that as many women and girls as possible have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, whose work includes providing more opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to be active.

Sport England supports the work of the local Active Partnership which covers Woking, Active ​S​urrey, who champion physical activity with local leaders to develop interventions tailored to communities. Alongside this, Sport England invested £47,286 into sports-related projects in the constituency of Woking in 2024/25.

In addition, Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has also inspired millions of women and girls across the country to get active. 1.6 million more women are expected to be active as a result of the campaign by 2028.

Defra has considered the design of similar schemes in European countries as Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging has been developed in the UK. However, direct cost comparisons of schemes in different countries can be misleading because schemes differ in scope, the treatment of drinks containers, and how waste management costs are reflected. In the UK, fees are calculated to reflect the costs faced by local authorities, using packaging weight and estimated volume, alongside costs associated with collection, treatment and disposal.

The UK remains the only country to have secured a 10% tariff for automotives within quota - saving hundreds of millions of pounds on UK exports annually.

We will continue to engage with the US Administration, and with the UK autos industry, on how we can best deliver for them.

Supporting the sector remains a priority for this Government, and we will keep industry informed to support business planning and future investment decisions.

The UK's landmark economic deal with the US will protect thousands of jobs, support key British industries, and help drive economic growth.

As scheme administrator for packaging Extended Producer Responsibility, PackUK will conduct annual local authority effectiveness assessments on behalf of the four nations from 2028. Following this assessment, a local authority may be subject to an Improvement Action Process (IAP), as set out in the regulations. PackUK has completed six IAP pilot programmes with volunteer local authorities across the UK to test how this process can support LAs to improve services, especially in relation to the management of household packaging waste. Findings from the pilots will inform development of the effectiveness assessments, an LA Support Framework and the final IAP process. PackUK is working closely with stakeholders, and a summary of the IAP pilot interim outcomes is available for interested stakeholders.