AQW 18120/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 28/04/2021
Answered On Date: 11/05/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland each adopting different deposit return schemes.

Answer:

I, along with my counterparts in England and Wales, other UK jurisdictions issued a second consultation on a Deposit/Return Scheme on 24 March 2021. This proposes a scheme which will ensure consistency for major UK suppliers and retailers. This is consistent with the UK-wide approach we have taken for many years on packaging. Implementation of the Deposit Return Scheme is expected in 2024. The Republic of Ireland DRS is due to be implemented in 2022.

My department officials correspond regularly with their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland (Department of Environment Climate and Communications DECC) and all-Ireland business representatives to discuss the two schemes to ensure that the impact of any differences are minimised.

The consultation document can be found on the following link which will close on 4th June 2021. https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/introducing-deposit-return-scheme-england-wales-and-northern-ireland.