Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Acknowledged
Department claims waste reform programme has been reset and fully resourced.
Conclusion
The Department told us that its recent work on the reforms has amounted to a wider reset of the programme’s approach, and the programme is now fully resourced.15 It believes it has now addressed the weaknesses in its approach to the programme, and that the IPA’s review due this autumn should be more positive.16
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's observation, stating the November 2023 IPA review assessed the programme as 'amber' with concerns about DRS and pEPR. It commits to addressing outstanding issues via a detailed action plan and will update the committee by March 2024.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2024 1.2 The most recent Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) review, in November 2023, assessed the programme as ‘amber’ and recognised the significant progress made in the design, delivery and capability of the programme overall. However, the review team were concerned about certain aspects of the programme that could be considered ‘red’, such as the operational readiness of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) timeline; and critical risks remain that require meticulous management attention to ensure the programme meets its time, cost, and quality objectives. The programme has developed a detailed action plan to co-ordinate progress of the IPA recommendations that are being monitored through senior governance fora and expediated via regular daily calls where necessary. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (the department) will write to the Committee at the end of March 2024 to outline the actions taken to address any outstanding concerns raised by the IPA review.