Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the extent to which current EPR thresholds, reporting requirements and enforcement arrangements create opportunities for avoidance or place disproportionate costs on compliant producers.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging thresholds are designed to limit disproportionate burden. The effectiveness is subject to ongoing monitoring and review, including compliance monitoring, reporting and enforcement against scheme objectives and outcomes.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions has the Department held with HM Treasury and MHCLG about alternative mechanisms for financing local authority packaging waste management that could reduce administration and improve accountability.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra regularly engages with HMT and MHCLG on Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR).
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Department has to undertake a comprehensive review of packaging Extended Producer Responsibility; when that review will commence; and whether it will examine alternative approaches to achieving the scheme's environmental objectives.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will undertake a post-implementation review of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging by 31 December 2028, and an impact and economic evaluation of the Collection and Packaging Reforms is scheduled to be delivered in 2029. These will assess implementation, performance, outcomes, whether the policy remains appropriate, and improvement opportunities.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what independent assessment has been undertaken of PackUK's operational efficiency, value for money and effectiveness in delivering measurable improvements in recycling outcomes.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government Internal Audit Agency undertook an independent assessment of PackUK’s audit needs in 2025. It has since reviewed end-to-end financial processes and is undertaking a reassessment of progress, including operational controls, strategy, Key Performance Indicators, and assurance arrangements, to support effective delivery of the scheme and identify further improvements.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the cumulative administrative and compliance costs of packaging EPR for UK businesses, including the interaction with the PRN system and Plastic Packaging Tax.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The October 2024 Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) impact assessment included administrative and compliance costs associated with that scheme. We continue to engage with stakeholders on implementation to minimise burdens while delivering environmental outcomes.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will the she discuss with DBIST, HM Treasury and MHCLG the merits of a cross-government review of packaging EPR, including options for simplifying compliance and reducing unnecessary regulatory costs.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra regularly engages with HMT and MHCLG on Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging.
The scheme will undergo a post-implementation review by 31 December 2028, and the wider Collection and Packaging Reforms evaluation will report in 2029. These will consider business impacts, whether the policy remains appropriate, and opportunities for improvement.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of locally led development corporations in accelerating brownfield land assembly.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Development corporations are a powerful tool for delivering long-term land regeneration, infrastructure delivery, and housing growth due to their powers of land assembly, their ability to masterplan effectively and their capacity to provide effective long-term certainty and stewardship.
The government has made no specific assessment of the effectiveness of locally-led development corporations in accelerating brownfield land assembly.
We remain committed to commencing the provisions that will enable local authorities to establish locally-led urban development corporations with the powers and oversight they need to achieve the regeneration of their area.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planning determination periods on the delivery timelines of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has made no such assessment.
Planning determination periods under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 do not apply to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, which are instead determined under the separate Planning Act 2008 regime and its associated statutory timescales.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what comparative assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness and financial sustainability of (a) multi-year formula funding allocations and (b) competitive bidding systems for local regeneration.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As set out in the Funding Simplification Doctrine (Funding Simplification Doctrine: guidance and further information), Government acknowledges that running competitions can create additional financial and resource burdens on local authorities and affect their ability to deliver existing programmes for central government, diverting capacity to write bids for an uncertain outcome.
Simplifying the funding landscape for local authorities makes it easier for councils to plan, invest and deliver for their communities. In September 2025, we consolidated a number of funding streams into the Local Regeneration Fund, giving local authorities a single, flexible allocation to empower leaders, cut bureaucracy and improve efficiency in the delivery of regeneration projects.
We have also delivered on our commitment to give councils multi-year funding Settlements. The 2026-27 Settlement was the first multi-year Settlement in a decade, providing local authorities with the stability and certainty they had long called for.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the role of local authority-owned housing companies in accelerating the commencement of new social housing developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has made no specific assessment of the role of local authority-owned housing companies in accelerating the commencement of new social housing developments.
We are readily aware that local authorities often choose to deliver social and affordable homes through local housing companies and are supportive where such vehicles are used to accelerate the delivery of new council homes, and especially homes for Social Rent.