Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an estimate of the number of businesses which have stopped trading due to the extended producer responsibility scheme.

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of businesses that have stopped trading due to the extended producer responsibility scheme. The Department for Business and Trade is committed to supporting businesses to start, invest, grow and export through a range of measures, including improving access to finance, reducing barriers to trade, promoting investment, and providing practical support through the Business Growth Service and UK Export Finance.

The scheme is led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is designed to ensure that producers bear the full net costs of managing household packaging waste, thereby supporting increased recycling and a more circular economy.