Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the administration for businesses arising from compliance with multiple packaging regulations.
Answer
Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, recycling obligations through PRNs and PERNs, and the Plastic Packaging Tax have distinct purposes. The Government recognises the importance of considering how these measures interact and minimising avoidable complexity. Defra continues to work with HM Treasury, HMRC, and businesses on the packaging framework.33% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply discusses several packaging regulations and explains that they serve different purposes, so it engages with the question. However, it does not name any concrete measure to reduce the administrative burden on businesses. Its statements about minimising complexity and ongoing work with other departments are general, so the answer is mostly hedged and the person who asked would likely need to ask again for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Department doing about the administrative burden on businesses arising from compliance with multiple packaging regulations? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply does engage with multiple packaging regulations, but it names no concrete measure to reduce the administrative burden on businesses. Statement 1 only explains that the schemes serve distinct purposes, statement 2 offers a platitude about 'minimising avoidable complexity', and statement 3 says Defra 'continues to work' with HM Treasury, HMRC and businesses without saying what that work will achieve. |