Lord de Mauley is no longer a minister at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), after failing to be reappointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science.
Following Prime Minister David Cameron’s election win and ministerial reshuffle in early May, the department’s website showed that there were four Conservative Defra ministers: Liz Truss, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; George Eustice, Minister of State at Defra; Lord de Mauley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State; and Rory Stewart, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.
However, the Defra website was updated this week and saw de Mauley removed from the ministerial list. Defra has confirmed to Resource that de Mauley has ‘not been reappointed as Defra minister at this time’, but stated that Lord Gardiner of Kimble will replace de Mauley as Defra’s spokesman in the House of Lords. However, Lord Gardiner will have no ministerial responsibilities within Defra.
de Mauley’s departure from Defra is somewhat surprising, as many industry commentators had predicted that he would take on the resource management brief, following the departure of Liberal Democrat Dan Rogerson. He had held responsibility for resource management, as well as environmental science and local environment in 2012 and 2013, after replacing Lord Taylor of Holbeach at the department.
It is now more likely that the portfolio for water, forestry, rural affairs and resource management will either fall to the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Rory Stewart (despite the fact that he has no background in waste) or Minister of State George Eustice.
Defra has stated that ministerial responsibilities should be confirmed ‘within the next week’.
Find out more about the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Rory Stewart.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.