The Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2020 No. 593 (W. 134)

Environmental Protection, Wales

The Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020

Made

12 June 2020

Laid before Senedd Cymru

15 June 2020

Coming into force

9 July 2020

The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 77(1) and (2) and 90(3) of, and paragraph 1 of Schedule 6 to, the Climate Change Act 2008(1), make the following Regulations.

Title and commencement

1.—(1) The title of these Regulations is the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020.

(2) They come into force on 9 July 2020.

Amendment of the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Wales) Regulations 2010

2.—(1) The Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Wales) Regulations 2010(2) are amended in accordance with paragraph (2).

(2) In Schedule 1, in paragraph 1(1A), for “8 July 2020” substitute “31 December 2020”.

Hannah Blythyn

Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government under the authority of Minister for Housing and Local Government, one of the Welsh Ministers

12 June 2020

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations are made under powers in the Climate Change Act 2008 and make amendments to the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Wales) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2880 (W. 238)) (“the 2010 Regulations”).

The 2010 Regulations, subject to certain exceptions, require sellers of goods who supply single use carrier bags for the purpose of allowing those goods to be carried away or delivered, to make a charge for each such bag supplied.

Single use carrier bags used for delivery or collection of goods are currently subject to a temporary exemption from the charge. The period of the temporary exemption is set out in paragraph 1(1A) of Schedule 1 to the 2010 Regulations. The current period of exemption ends on 8 July 2020.

Regulation 2 of these Regulations amends Schedule 1 (exemptions) to the 2010 Regulations by extending the exemption period to 31 December 2020.

The purpose of the temporary exemption is to mitigate, as far as possible, the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus), through delivery and collection systems, and to increase the efficiency of delivery systems, by the use of single use carrier bags to carry goods.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations. A copy can be obtained from the Environment Quality Division, Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.

(1)

2008 c. 27. By virtue of section 77(3)(b) of the Climate Change Act 2008, the Welsh Ministers are the relevant national authority for the purpose of making regulations under Schedule 6 to that Act. There are amendments to section 77 and Schedule 6 that are not relevant to these Regulations.

(2)

S.I. 2010/2880 (W. 238), amended by S.I. 2020/414 (W. 89); there are other amendments not relevant to these Regulations.