Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made about the extent of the use of wet wipe products containing plastics in infection prevention and control practices undertaken in workplaces and the National Health Service.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The consultation on the proposed ban of the manufacture, supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic closed on 25th November 2023. Defra officials are currently analysing consultation responses.
The consultation included questions on the potential impacts the proposed ban – including for those who require wet wipes containing plastic for medical purposes. Defra officials are engaging with a range of stakeholders, including the NHS, on whether a medical exemption will be required.
Details of the policy will be announced in the Government Response to the consultation, to be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on public health of a ban on all wet wipes made with plastic where such products are currently used for infection prevention and control practices in the National Health Service and workplaces.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The consultation on the proposed ban of the manufacture, supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic closed on 25th November 2023. Defra officials are currently analysing consultation responses.
The consultation included questions on the potential impacts the proposed ban – including for those who require wet wipes containing plastic for medical purposes. Defra officials are engaging with a range of stakeholders, including the NHS, on whether a medical exemption will be required.
Details of the policy will be announced in the Government Response to the consultation, to be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had on how a ban on all wet wipes containing plastic might affect products used in the National Service for infection prevention and control practices.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The consultation on the proposed ban of the manufacture, supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic closed on 25th November 2023. Defra officials are currently analysing consultation responses.
The consultation included questions on the potential impacts the proposed ban – including for those who require wet wipes containing plastic for medical purposes. Defra officials are engaging with a range of stakeholders, including the NHS, on whether a medical exemption will be required.
Details of the policy will be announced in the Government Response to the consultation, to be published in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Merron (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) monitoring network in order to monitor the progress made towards achieving the air pollution targets set under the Environment Act 2021.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
As part of our work to assess progress towards the new PM2.5 targets, we have already invested £1m to expand the PM2.5 monitoring network in 2021/22, and have added 17 monitoring sites (as of July 2022) to the existing 63 (December 2021). By the end of 2025 we will have invested a further £10m to at least double the size of the original PM2.5 network.