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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy and has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, for which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming autumn. Whilst led by Defra, this is a cross-government effort based on close collaboration between departments and the governments of the Four Nations of the UK.

Reflecting this collaborative and whole-economy approach, officials are working closely with other government departments with strong interests in the delivery of a circular economy, in particular, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Business and Trade, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Department for Transport and HM Treasury to ensure that government is maximising the opportunities to be had from properly joining up and integrating circular economy activity across a range of departments.