Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what targets they have for the systematic reduction of harmful plastic production and waste in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Plastics play a vital role in most facets of our daily lives. The industry also contributes enormously to our transition to a green economy, particularly through the development and supply of low carbon products and solutions which help manufacturing sectors. Nevertheless, we recognise that the production and disposal of plastic presents challenges: plastics are long-lived in the natural environment and can cause damage when disposed of irresponsibly; and some chemical additives have the potential to be damaging to human health and the environment, during the life of the plastic product and when it is disposed of.
There is a strict limit on the levels of heavy metals permitted within plastic packaging, the plastic parts of electrical & electronic equipment and vehicles placed on both the UK market and the wider EU single market. In addition, the EU Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) provides the means to control the most dangerous chemicals. The use of a chemical substance, such as an additive in plastics, can be restricted if it presents an unacceptable risk. Alternatively, a hazardous substance may only be allowed in uses that are specifically authorised, either because the risk is adequately controlled or the socio-economic benefits of continued use outweigh the risks.
To reduce the environmental impact of single use plastic carrier bags we are requiring larger stores to charge 5p for such bags from 5 October this year. The experience of other parts of the UK suggests that this could reduce usage from these stores by up to 80%. We also encourage packaging producers to use a minimum level of packaging, including plastic packaging. The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations require that packaging should not exceed what is needed to ensure that products are safe, hygienic and acceptable to the consumer. These Regulations are enforced by Trading Standards.
In addition, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations place a legal obligation on businesses that make or use packaging to ensure that a proportion of the packaging they place on the market is recovered and recycled. The recycling target for plastic packaging waste placed on the market by businesses obligated under these regulations is 47% for 2015 rising to 52% in 2016 and 57% in 2017.
The Government is in the process of responding to the European Commission’s consultations on the circular economy which will inform a package of proposals on resource efficiency and waste, and which are expected to be published by the end of this year.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they plan to take to reduce harmful plastic production and waste in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Plastics play a vital role in most facets of our daily lives. The industry also contributes enormously to our transition to a green economy, particularly through the development and supply of low carbon products and solutions which help manufacturing sectors. Nevertheless, we recognise that the production and disposal of plastic presents challenges: plastics are long-lived in the natural environment and can cause damage when disposed of irresponsibly; and some chemical additives have the potential to be damaging to human health and the environment, during the life of the plastic product and when it is disposed of.
There is a strict limit on the levels of heavy metals permitted within plastic packaging, the plastic parts of electrical & electronic equipment and vehicles placed on both the UK market and the wider EU single market. In addition, the EU Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) provides the means to control the most dangerous chemicals. The use of a chemical substance, such as an additive in plastics, can be restricted if it presents an unacceptable risk. Alternatively, a hazardous substance may only be allowed in uses that are specifically authorised, either because the risk is adequately controlled or the socio-economic benefits of continued use outweigh the risks.
To reduce the environmental impact of single use plastic carrier bags we are requiring larger stores to charge 5p for such bags from 5 October this year. The experience of other parts of the UK suggests that this could reduce usage from these stores by up to 80%. We also encourage packaging producers to use a minimum level of packaging, including plastic packaging. The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations require that packaging should not exceed what is needed to ensure that products are safe, hygienic and acceptable to the consumer. These Regulations are enforced by Trading Standards.
In addition, the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations place a legal obligation on businesses that make or use packaging to ensure that a proportion of the packaging they place on the market is recovered and recycled. The recycling target for plastic packaging waste placed on the market by businesses obligated under these regulations is 47% for 2015 rising to 52% in 2016 and 57% in 2017.
The Government is in the process of responding to the European Commission’s consultations on the circular economy which will inform a package of proposals on resource efficiency and waste, and which are expected to be published by the end of this year.
Asked by: Iain Wright (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what analysis he has undertaken of the reasons for the fall of drug manufacturing output in the UK since 2010; what steps he plans to take to ensure that the UK pharmaceutical industry is globally competitive; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
The global pharmaceutical sector along with other industries has faced challenges in coping with the economic downturn and global squeeze on prices. Pharmaceutical global restructuring has resulted in a significant number of plant closures in Europe including in the UK due to industry-wide overcapacity in manufacturing, expiry of patents on some of the medicines manufactured in the UK and slow growth of the European pharmaceutical market over the last few years, due to budget constraints. The figures are also partly due to the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry moving from a focus on small molecules to biological products, which require different manufacturing plants and capabilities.
We are working with the sector, in particular through the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership, to respond to the opportunities and challenges it has identified. For example, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s Innovation office published four case studies that exemplify why the UK is a leading place to introduce new manufacturing processes. We have invested significantly in national centres such as the cell therapy and precision medicine catapults. We have also invested £55m in a Cell Therapy Manufacturing Centre, £38m in the National Biologics Manufacturing Centre and £28m in a National Formulation Centre. In addition, £13 million has been invested in 7 medicines manufacturing projects under the Regional Growth Fund, leveraging an £108m in private sector investment.
These initiatives will help us to develop advanced medicines manufacturing, which should enable us to build new industries in areas such as cell and gene therapies. The Life Sciences Strategy launched in December 2011 set the foundations for this renewal. We estimate that since then at least £3.5 billion inward investment into the UK has been secured, creating over 11,000 new jobs.
Recently, Glaxo SmithKline and Astra Zeneca have both made significant commitments to invest in manufacturing in the UK. In addition, non UK domiciled companies have recognised the opportunity of manufacturing in the UK, with Fujifilm Diosynth, opening a new manufacturing facility in October 2013 and Eisai opening its new packaging facility in November 2014.