§ Mr. Simon ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what steps her Department is taking to encourage the manufacture of reusable printer cartridges; [135887]
(2)what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) the National Assembly for Wales on the consequences of classifying printer cartridges as consumer products for (i) environmental targets and (ii) sustainable development commitments; [135889]
(3) hat assessment she has made of the effects the exclusion of printer cartridges under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive will have on (a) the UK and (b) the Welsh re-manufacturing industry. [135890]
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§ Mr. TimmsThe transposition of the WEEE Directive into UK legislation is being overseen by an interdepartmental team, including officials from all of the Departments concerned and the devolved Administrations.
The Department has had extensive dialogue with cartridge manufacturers and the UK Cartridge Remanufacturers Association on the scope of the WEEE Directive in relation to printer cartridges, but there is no formal assessment by Government on the effects of inclusion or exclusion on either manufacturers or re-manufacturers.
My Department continues to welcome the reuse and re-manufacture of printer cartridges, as a useful contribution to sustainable consumption and production, but does not operate a promotional programme specifically aimed at encouraging printer cartridge re-manufacture.