To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of seeking the introduction of tax on plastic bags to encourage the use of recyclable alternatives; and what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this matter. (166365)

The Government have no current plans for a plastic bags tax, although the Chancellor keeps all taxes under review. Any decision on a levy on plastic bags would be for the Treasury to make.

We are interested in reducing the environmental impact of all single-use carrier bags, not just plastic bags. The Waste Strategy for England 2007, launched in May, aims to make single-use carrier bags a thing of the past, and we are actively working on the best ways to achieve this objective.