§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what incentives are in place in the UK to discourage the(a) production and (b) handing out of plastic bags. [158279]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 4 March 2004]: None at present. Under the Packaging Regulations, businesses have tonnage obligations and they can reduce these, and their costs, by reducing the amount of packaging they handle.
While there are no formal measures in place targeted specifically at plastic bags, the Government fully support the retailers in the introduction of 'bag for life', reusable bags and plastic bag recycling schemes.