§ Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of his Department's expenditure on research and development was spent on the packaging industry for each year since 1980.
§ Mr. AtkinsMy Department does not fund research which might be construed as near market research or in general on particular industries. However, packaging is an important component of the domestic waste stream and my Department sponsors a programme of research in this area, of which one example is the national household waste analysis programme, part of a series of measures designed to improve waste statistics. This project receives additional financial support from the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment, INCPEN.