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Select committee: Environmental Audit Committee

First Special Report - Invasive species: Government response to the Committee’s First report of Session 2019

Published 13 May 2020

Environmental Audit Committee Invasive Species inquiry Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to 1st Report - Invasive species.

This is the government's response, published 13 May 2020.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government welcomes the Committee's recommendations and responds on each, agreeing on public awareness, volunteers and Local Action Groups, while giving reasons for not adopting some proposals and tying funding questions to future spending reviews.

  • On ballast water, the government says UK accession was scheduled for 2020 to allow time for amendments to the Convention to be accepted, and it "expects the UK to accede to the Convention in the summer".
  • On pathway action plans, Defra "is expecting to complete all of the PAPs by the end of 2022", rather than the end of 2020 the Committee recommended.
  • On a dedicated INNS inspectorate, the government is "examining the case for a separate inspectorate" and will assess costs, benefits and practicalities, including whether existing inspectorates might carry out the functions.
  • On funding for awareness, rapid response and Local Action Groups, the government agrees more resource is needed, but says this "will be considered" in departmental business planning and future spending reviews, including Spending Review 2020.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Sources