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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to tackle the use of microbeads in products outside the scope of her Department's proposed ban.

We are currently running a consultation on our proposals to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. The consultation ends on 28th February 2017. The consultation also seeks to gather evidence on the extent of the environmental impacts of microplastics, including microbeads, found in other products. This evidence will be used to inform future UK actions to protect the marine environment.