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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has funded into the effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment in the last 12 months; what the terms of reference are for such research; what institution is undertaking that research; when such research will report; and if she will make it her policy to publish the results of such research.

Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report is currently undergoing peer review and is expected to be published shortly.