To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs whether he intends to increase the carrier bag levy from 25 pence.

My department introduced new carrier bag levy legislation in April 2022. It increased the carrier bag levy charge from 5 pence to 25 pence and extended the scope to include all new carrier bags with a retail price of five pounds or less. The primary objective remains to protect our environment by influencing customer behaviour to promote a significant reduction in carrier bag usage.

Annual validated statistics are published each August, with complete figures based on the updated regulation available for the 2022/23 reporting year only. More time is needed for comparative figures to be produced, which will help inform decisions around any future changes to the legislation.