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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of a plastic bag charge for small and medium-sized retailers; and when they intend to publicise their plans for the introduction of that charge.

The Government will publish the revised impact assessment on extending the carrier bag charge to small and medium-sized retailers, which has been assessed as fit for purpose by the Regulatory Policy Committee, alongside the summary of the responses to the consultation and the Government response setting out next steps. We intend to publish these documents shortly.