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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) capability of the Government to administer the replacement of plastic water bottles with bio plastic.

The Government has no plans to administer the replacement of plastic water bottles with bio-based plastics.

We are currently developing a UK Bioeconomy Strategy that will bring together biological industries, academia and innovators, linking up farmers and land managers with high-tech industries.

This will cover a range of issues such as intellectual property practices; policy, regulation and industry guidance on waste; the impact of bio-based procurement and standards for bio-based plastics and other bio-materials.