§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to introduce a levy on the use of plastic bags; and if he will make a statement. [96390]
§ Angela SmithThere are currently no plans to introduce a plastic bags tax. Instead, as the Chancellor said in his pre-Budget statement, the Government will be considering how the use of economic instruments can be extended to provide a more comprehensive and coherent framework for waste management more generally, as well as the scope for using other policies to tackle packaging and encourage producer responsibility. However, in both Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom generally, a number of positive steps are being taken to encourage a significant reduction in the use of plastic bags in order to protect the environment, decrease the amount of visible litter and reduce the volume of plastic bags going to landfill.
A key element in achieving these results is to change consumer behaviour. In Northern Ireland, I am pleased to confirm that, following negotiations with representatives of the major supermarket chains, a Retail Charter was introduced in October last year. This charter takes a pro-active approach to educating both retailers and consumers in the application of sustainable environmental policies to their shopping habits, a message which has again been promoted in recent months, in the Department of the Environment's intensive 'Wake up to Waste' and 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' advertising campaigns.
A further key step in changing a culture of indiscriminate use and disposal of plastic bags will be the forthcoming review of litter legislation, which will identify and address any shortcomings in the existing body of litter legislation in Northern Ireland.