Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the scientific basis for his Department’s policy on the use of single-use beverage containers in its draft guidance for Covid-19 safety at UK events; and if he will make it his policy that reusable containers should be used in those contexts.

The Department has supported a number of stakeholders to produce guidance for specific sectors to allow them to reopen at the appropriate time and ensure that their activities are Covid secure. The guidance for Covid-19 safety at outdoor events in the UK was published by the Events Industry Forum and is stakeholder-led guidance. Therefore, we are unable to publish the scientific basis on single use containers for events.

The Government has now published new guidance for local authorities on organised events which has been designed to assist local authorities in ensuring that events are able to go ahead safely and in accordance with what is permitted at each step of the Roadmap. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-organised-events-guidance-for-local-authorities/coronavirus-covid-19-organised-events-guidance-for-local-authorities.