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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to ensure effective action is taken against organised criminal networks in the waste sector.

Defra works closely with the Home Office and National Police Chiefs’ Council to ensure an aligned and effective response to waste crime. The Home Office sets the overarching serious and organised crime strategy and tasking framework, with waste crime treated within this wider threat picture, particularly where it intersects with fraud, money laundering and drugs. Cross-agency coordination is delivered through the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, enabling intelligence sharing, resource prioritisation and best practice. The Unit has supported hundreds of operations, contributing to arrests and delivering training to thousands of staff.