6th Special Report - The Future of the Natural Environment after the EU Referendum: Government Response to the Committee’s Sixth Report

This is the government's response, published 2 May 2017.

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

The Government "notes" the Committee's report and relies mainly on the Great Repeal Bill and its 25 year plan for the environment, without committing to a new Environmental Protection Act.

• The Great Repeal Bill will convert EU environmental law into domestic law. The 25 year plan will include "examining what opportunities exist to improve the legislative and regulatory framework".
• On a new Environmental Protection Act, the Minister's letter says it will be for "future Governments and Parliaments to decide whether and when" such an Act is necessary after exit.
• The Government agrees that coordination between environment and agriculture is "critically important", and that future policy interventions must be justified by "robust evidence".
• On funding, all existing agri-environment agreements "will be honoured", and decisions on future funding "will be agreed and announced in due course".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error