The Environment Bill would establish a new environmental governance system, including the setting of long-term targets and the creation of an Office for Environmental Protection. It also includes measures on improving air quality, waste management and recycling, water management, biodiversity and conservation covenants. The bill is due to have it second reading in the House of Lords on 7 June 2021, having been carried over from the last session.
Environment Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (377 KB , PDF)
On 7 June 2021, the second reading of the Environment Bill is scheduled to take place in the House of Lords. The bill is a wide-ranging piece of legislation, comprised of a range of different thematic elements. The first part of the bill is focused on environmental governance. It would allow the Government to set long-term targets for the natural environment and includes the creation of an Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to hold the government to account on environmental law and its environmental improvement plan now that the UK has left the European Union.
The bill also provides for measures directed at specific areas of environmental policy. They include provisions on improving air quality; waste management and recycling; water management; protecting natural habitats and biodiversity; and for so-called conservation covenants.
The bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons. During debate on its provisions, Labour welcomed the bill but described it as lacking in the necessary ambition and insufficient to address the urgent need presented by the climate crisis and other critical environmental issues. As a result, Labour (and other opposition parties) tabled a range of amendments during committee and report stage, although all were unsuccessful.
Government amendments and new clauses were accepted at both stages. A number of these amendments were minor and technical in nature. Others were more substantial and are discussed in the body of this briefing. For example, concerning issues such as introducing greater clarity on the role of the Office for Environmental Protection and its relationship with the existing Committee on Climate Change.
The Government has also announced that it will seek to move further amendments in the House of Lords. They include measures aimed to reduce the harms caused by storm overflows and to introduce a legally binding target on species abundance.
Environment Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (377 KB , PDF)
Highlighting the human and economic costs of accidents, and rising rates of accidental deaths in the UK, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has called for the government to create a national accident prevention strategy. RoSPA argues that currently, responsibility for accident prevention is too fragmented. The government has not yet commented on this proposal.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill would make changes to the system for approving major infrastructure projects, planning committees and nature recovery. It would also make changes to electricity and transport infrastructure processes, development corporations, spatial development strategies, and compulsory purchase. The government intends the bill to help grow the economy by enabling important infrastructure and homes to be built more quickly. Some parts of the bill, particularly those related to nature recovery, have attracted criticism from opposition parties and external bodies.
The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is a pan-European satellite navigation system that augments global satellite systems, improving their accuracy and making them suitable for safety-critical applications such as flying aircraft or navigating ships through narrow channels. As a result of its departure from the European Union, the UK no longer participates in the EGNOS programme. Some stakeholders have called for the UK to reinstate the EGNOS system, particularly whilst a UK alternative is developed.
