asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/871) did not contain the recovery and recycling targets now imposed by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/413) and required by European Council directives agreed in 2003, 2004 and 2005. [HL2855]

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007 set recovery and recycling targets which were updated by the 2008 regulations, as announced on 11 February. The targets were amended in order to ensure that the UK meets the EU directive targets by 31 December 2008 in light of changes to the data relating to the UK market during 2005, 2006 and 2007 as reflected in the WasteDataFlow statistics. The new targets were set following public consultation.

The new more ambitious overall recovery target of 72 per cent for 2008 will ensure that we meet this year's EU directive target of recovering at least 60 per cent of our packaging waste, 55 per cent of which will be recycled. The new 73 per cent target for 2009 and 74 per cent for 2010 will also contribute to meeting the ambitions outlined in the 2007 Waste Strategy for England and realise the most efficient CO₂ emission savings.