The Minister for Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Jo Churchill, will be questioned by the EFRA Committee as they pursue their inquiry into plastic waste at 2.30 PM on Tuesday 10 May 2022.
The session is an opportunity to put some of the criticisms the committee has heard about government policy to the minister, while testing possible solutions and recommendations.
The MPs serving on the committee are likely to discuss:
· Recycling rates and other government targets
· Major reforms such as the plastic packaging tax
· Ways in which producers can be encouraged to take more responsibility for packaging
· Initiatives which could result in more ‘circular’ and sustainable production systems (for example by re-using materials and creating less waste)
· How to encourage investment in recycling capacity
There will also be discussion about plastic waste exports and other international initiatives to limit the environmental impact of plastics.
Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border and Member of the EFRA Committee said:
“In our ongoing EFRA Committee Inquiry on Plastic Waste, we will be questioning DEFRA Minister Jo Churchill and her officials on the Government approach to tackling this important environmental issue. Plastic pollution blights our environment on land and in our waterways and seas, and our Committee will be making recommendations to Government on measures to address this issue.”
The Minister will be accompanied by a senior official from DEFRA. A senior official from the Environment Agency, a public body sponsored by DEFRA, will also be attending as a witness before the committee. The proceedings can be watched on parliamentlive.tv
The witnesses are:
· Jo Churchill, Minister for Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation, DEFRA
· Chris Preston, Deputy Director, Resources and Waste, DEFRA
· Steve Molyneux, Deputy Director, Waste Regulation, the Environment Agency