Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to appoint an independent administrator for a deposit return scheme.

Consultations on introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drinks containers were held in 2019 and 2021, with the final consultation response published in January 2023. These consultations applied to England, Wales and NI.

In May 2023, UK Government published a position statement setting out that DRSs across the UK should be interoperable to reduce complexity for businesses and consumers, and to avoid unnecessary barriers to trade. Defra is working closely with devolved administrations on the next steps to deliver schemes that work together across the UK. We aim to publish a joint update in early 2024.