asked the Secretary of State for Industry further to the Minister's reply to the hon. Member for Stockport, North on 14 November about the waste management advisory council's report on returnable bottles and containers for liquids, why the report which was due to be published in the summer of the current year has been delayed until early 1980.

The issue is a complex one and the study has involved a considerable amount of research. It has taken longer than was hoped earlier to complete the collection of reliable data and evaluate it, but there has been no avoidable delay. The work is now well advanced and drafting of the final report has begun.