§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the reclassification of backing paper as packaging material on the competitiveness of the UK adhesive label manufacturing industry. [1236]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Department has not assessed the impact of this obligation on the competitiveness of the UK adhesive label manufacturing industry. Nevertheless, the regulations should not place UK business at a competitive disadvantage in the domestic market given that imported packaging is equally obligated. Similarly, packaging which is exported from the UK is not obligated under the UK packaging regulations.
The Department works closely with representatives of the UK's paper and printing related industries in order to help improve their long term prospects. To this end, we are currently exploring ways to take forward recommendations from recent competitiveness studies for paper related industries, in partnership with the Confederation of Paper Industries and the British Printing Industries Federation.
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the change in the annual cost to the UK adhesive label manufacturing industry of the reclassification of backing paper as packaging material; and if she will make a statement. [1237]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Department has not independently estimated the change in the annual cost to the UK adhesive label manufacturing industry.
267WHowever, the Environment Agency have estimated that the cost in 2001 to the UK adhesive label manufacturing industry as a whole will be in the order of £430,000.