Written questions by Heylings.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with local authorities to maximise the recycling of household waste.

Waste is a devolved policy area. The upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms in England will ensure that people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school - to make recycling easier and improve recycling rates. Defra has previously consulted local authorities and other key stakeholders on these reforms, and we continue to engage through regular forums and newsletters. Defra has established a joint sounding board with the Local Government Association to support policy development and implementation for local authorities. Furthermore, the Minister for Nature recently held a roundtable with local authorities to discuss our work on the Circular Economy including Simpler Recycling.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the use of nature-based solutions to help tackle climate change.

The Government is supporting farmers to implement nature-based farming practices through a range of measures. These include habitat restoration and creation; activities to reduce the impact of invasive non-native species on sites or to address pressures on sensitive areas; improvements in water storage and management; and changes to limit emissions while maintaining agricultural profitability and increasing productivity. These measures will be delivered through our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. We now have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. In the October 2024 budget, we committed £5 billion for farming over two years, including £1.8 billion for our ELM schemes - the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. Trees and peat are at the forefront of our plans to reduce emissions. We are working towards our Environment Act targets to reach 16.5% tree canopy cover in England by 2050. We have pledged up to £400 million for tree planting and peatland restoration over the current and next financial year. We also recognise the potential to scale up private investment for carbon and nature projects. Learning from the success of the established UK Woodland Carbon Code and UK Peatland Code, the government is funding the British Standards Institution to build a more comprehensive framework of UK Nature Investment Standards. This includes a UK Natural Carbon Standard, which will be available to support the development of high integrity investment schemes for nature recovery and sustainable farming projects around the UK. As announced in November 2024 at COP29 in Baku, the government is committed to delivering confidence in the integrity of these growing markets and will consult on further potential measures later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking legislative steps to introduce a land use framework.

The Government plans to take action toward realising a Land Use Framework in the first year of its time in power.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including a digital option in the UK’s deposit return scheme to enable consumers to recycle their in-scope containers from home.

Through our regular industry engagement and international learnings from other schemes, there has been a broad consensus that a return to retail approach is the most effective way to launch a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers across the UK and begin to realise its benefits. However, Defra recognises the broad benefits a digital model could bring and welcome the trials that are being held. I remain encouraged by this and keen to see the testing of the feasibility for introducing a digital solution in the future. Regarding local authority revenue streams, Defra recognises the concerns expressed by some local authorities over the potential impact of DRS. Defra officials are in regular contact with local authority representative associations and will continue to assess this important aspect of the deposit return scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a return-to-retail deposit return scheme on local council revenue streams.

Through our regular industry engagement and international learnings from other schemes, there has been a broad consensus that a return to retail approach is the most effective way to launch a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers across the UK and begin to realise its benefits. However, Defra recognises the broad benefits a digital model could bring and welcome the trials that are being held. I remain encouraged by this and keen to see the testing of the feasibility for introducing a digital solution in the future. Regarding local authority revenue streams, Defra recognises the concerns expressed by some local authorities over the potential impact of DRS. Defra officials are in regular contact with local authority representative associations and will continue to assess this important aspect of the deposit return scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward his planned implementation of the (a) packaging and (b) other aspects of the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme.

This Government is committed to creating a circular economy that: uses our resources as efficiently and productively as possible, minimises environmental impacts, accelerates our progress on Net Zero, supports economic growth, and creates new jobs. The draft Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 were recently laid before Parliament and, subject to Parliamentary processes, will be coming into force from 2025. The Secretary of State has asked his department to convene a taskforce of experts to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Taskforce will consider the evidence for action right across the economy, and as such will evaluate what interventions may be needed, including other Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes.