Active Consultations

Defra is consulting on a new Waste Prevention Programme for England: Towards a Resource Efficient Economy that sets out priorities for action to manage its resources and waste in accordance with the waste hierarchy - which means preventing waste by amongst other things increasing reuse, repair and remanufacture of products. 

The Programme outlines the potential for, and benefits of, action on waste prevention, what industry is already doing and could do, as well as setting out actions for government.

Defra launched a consultation seeking views on plans to introduce an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging.

This will mean that packaging producers will pay the full cost of managing packaging once it becomes waste. This will encourage producers to use less packaging and use more recyclable materials, reducing the amount of hard to recycle packaging placed on the market.

The consultation looks at a number of keys areas, including:

The landmark Environment Bill will create a duty on Ministers of the Crown to have due regard to the policy statement on environmental principles when making policy. This legally binding statement will see five environmental principles committed to by the UK Government to guide its work and ensure considerations for the environment remain central to policy making.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) is the independent body which advises Government on the levels of the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW). To help shape the recommendations on the 2022 minimum wage rates, the Low Pay Commission is seeking evidence on the impact of the NLW and NMW. 

The consultation is seeking views on business conditions and the economic outlook, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the support measures the Government has implemented in response to it.

This includes:

The Committee will examine how the Government can reduce and mitigate economic scarring and job losses after the pandemic, how much difference the Government can make to economic growth, and what has caused the UK’s productivity growth to be persistently weak.

It will also examine macroeconomic policy, looking at whether the Bank of England’s inflation target is fit for purpose, if the Monetary Policy Committee has effective tools to stimulate the economy when interest rates are low, and whether a return of inflation is a risk to the economic recovery.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has launched a new inquiry to examine the Government’s approach to permitted development rights.

DEFRA has launched a consulation on proposals to introduce a deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The consulation seeks views on:

• how a deposit return scheme will operate
• scheme scope and design
• implementation timelines
• scheme enforcement

The consultation opens on 24^th March 2021. The consultation closes on 4 June 2021.

The Sentencing Council are consulting on their guidelines for assault offences for the courts to use when passing a sentence.

This consultation seeks views on areas of the Plastic Packaging Tax which have been further refined as the government move closer to the implementation date of April 2022.

A growing number of people want to prove their age through a digital system on their phone rather than or as well as using physical proof of age cards. The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on whether or not PASS should extend its remit to cover the use of Digital Proof of Age (DPoA) as well as physical forms of Proof of Age.