Plastic Microbeads in Cosmetics Ban (UK)

UPDATE 3rd August : the 2017 Regulations are now notified to the EU and to the WTO. The EU notification gives detail, and is here. 

A few days ago, the DEFRA Secretary of State confirmed the UK will introduce a ban on plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. Following consultation, the proposals are summarised :

(1) the ban on manufacture (England) will start 1st Jan 2018 and the ban on sale (England) will start 30th June 2018

(2) precise definitions of “microbead”, “plastic” and “rinse-off personal care product” have been developed to clearly define the scope of the ban

(3) the scope of rinse-off products will be as set out in the consultation, but DEFRA is additionally working with the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (HSAC) to assess the case for addressing further categories of products

(4) Trading Standards will be the regulator to manage compliance and enforcement in England

(5) enforcement in England will be carried out through a range of sanctions including variable monetary penalties, compliance notices, stop notices and enforcement undertakings

(6) the Devolved Administrations (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) will consider appropriate enforcement mechanisms, regulators and timescales according to devolution settlements.

The summary of DEFRA responses is here.

Legislation is expected by the end of 2017. This is a UK initiative, and is unconnected with the EU. 

Medium Combustion Plants and Generators (UK)

The Medium Combustion Plant (European) Directive (MCPD) is an instrument targeted at reducing air pollution by bringing in emission controls for combustion plants in the 1-50MWth range. 

The MCPD was supported by the UK as it will deliver a cost-effective improvement in air quality. The Directive requires all plants in scope to be registered or permitted and sets limits on the levels of pollutants that these plants can emit according to their type, size, age, fuel type and annual operating hours. It also requires operators to test emissions from their plants to demonstrate compliance with emission limits. The MCPD must be transposed into UK law by 19 December 2017. The controls will apply to new plants from December 2018. Existing plants must comply with requirements from 2024 or 2029, depending largely on size. Full implementation will be achieved in 2030. This legislation will be implemented in the UK. 

The European MCPD will be added to ENV Air in the Cardinal Environment EHS Legislation Registers and Checklists.

Consultation has occurred in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The consultation response is published (England and Wales) here. 

England : the Environment Agency will be appointed as the regulator in England. For higher risk plants, where the impact on local air quality must be assessed to determine permit conditions, Local Authorities will be consulted. The Environment Agency will consult on fees and charges as part of its strategic review of charges. 

Wales : the Welsh government is considering the matter of regulatory responsibility in relation to plant in Wales.

Note : 

(1) not all less than 1MW plant will be permitted

(2) control will be via the Environmental Permitting regime (England and Wales), there will be no change to other legislation

NO2 Air Quality Plan (UK)

A statutory UK Plan for tackling roadside emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is published today. The documents are here.

NO2 air quality standards are set out in the following laws (implementing EU air quality standards, which give effect to World Health Organisation – WHO – air quality guidelines – found in ENV Air in the Cardinal Environment EHS Legislation Registers and Checklists) :

– The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010

– The Air Quality Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2010

– The Air Quality Standards Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010

– The Air Quality Standards (Wales) Regulations 2010

The UK 2017 Air Quality Plan (NO2) has the following components:

(1) there is to be a national framework setting out the steps that local authorities need to take (no details in the Plan)

(2) there is to be financial support to enable local authorities to develop and implement their plans

• £255m Implemention Fund, for feasibility studies and local plan development and delivery – £40 million immediately

• Clean Air Fund, for local authority bids for additional money to support the implementation of measures to improve air quality. This could include interventions such as improvements to local bus fleets, support for concessionary travel and more sustainable modes of transport such as cycling, or infrastructure changes. These interventions could enable local authorities to avoid the imposition of restrictions on vehicles, such as charging zones. To ensure the Fund fits the specific needs of each local area there will be a competitive process through which local authorities bid for support. Further details will be announced later in the year.

• £100 million for retrofitting and new low emission buses. As announced in the 2016 Autumn Statement, the government will provide this funding for a national programme of support for low emission buses in England and Wales, including hundreds of new low emission buses and retrofitting of thousands of older buses.

(3) local plans (produced by local authorities, local authorities already have responsibility under the Local Air Quality Management system brought in by EU law) are to be developed and implemented at pace so that air quality limits are met (presently the UK breaches air quality limits on a routine basis in some locations). Initial local plans by end March 2018. Final local plans by end December 2018. These plans will be subject to DEFRA approval, if not approved, measures will be mandated.

(4) local authorities are to consider a wide range of innovative options, exploring new technologies and seeking to support the government’s industrial strategy so that they can deliver reduced emissions in a way that best meets the needs of their communities and local businesses. 

Their plans could include a wide range of measures such as: changing road layouts at congestion and air pollution pinch points; encouraging public and private uptake of ULEVs; using innovative retrofitting technologies and new fuels; and, encouraging the use of public transport. 

If these measures are not sufficient, local plans could include access restrictions on vehicles, such as charging zones or measures to prevent certain vehicles using particular roads at particular times. However, local authorities should bear in mind such access restrictions would only be necessary for a limited period and should be lifted once legal compliance is achieved and there is no risk of legal limits being breached again.

The 2017 Plan does not suggest that any or all of these obligations will be mandatory, unless the local plans prove insufficient.

(5) a new Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill will allow the government to require the installation of charge points for electric vehicles at motorway service areas and large fuel retailers, and to make it even easier to use electric vehicle chargepoints across the UK. This drive towards cleaner technology and zero emission transport will be reinforced by both the Clean Growth Plan and the Industrial Strategy, including investment in science and innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

(6) checks by the pre-existing Market Surveillance Unit will be increased to ensure that new and existing vehicles on UK roads meet the standards that they were approved to. 

Also, please note the following re medium scale combustion plants :

Medium Combustion Plants (MCPs) are widely used to generate heat for large buildings (offices, hotels, hospitals, prisons) and industrial processes, as well as for power generation, and have been largely unregulated for emissions to air. In addition, there has been rapid growth in the use of generators with high NOx emissions in Great Britain which is expected to continue. 

Modelling indicates that such generators can lead to local breaches of the statutory hourly mean limit value for NO2. 

The UK and Welsh Governments consulted on new statutory measures to reduce emissions from MCPs and generators in 2016 with a view to introducing emission controls in England and Wales from the end of 2018, to improve air quality. The response to the consultation, published on 11 July 2017, sets out the controls which will be introduced into legislation by the end of 2017.

Scotland and Northern Ireland consulted in 2016 and 2017 respectively on measures to reduce emissions from MCPs within the same timescale as England and Wales, and sought views on controlling emissions from generators.

Also, new diesel and petrol cars and vans will be banned in the UK from 2040 in a bid to tackle air pollution, the government has announced. This is a separate pledge. 

European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (UK)

Today the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill was given its First Reading in the House of Commons. The purpose of this Bill (when enacted) is to repeal the European Communities Act 1972 (ECA) on the day the UK leaves the European Union (scheduled to be 29th March 2019). 

The principal purpose of the Bill is to provide a functioning statute book on the day the UK leaves the EU. As a general rule, the same rules and laws will apply on the day after exit as on the day before. It will then be for Parliament and, where appropriate, the devolved legislatures to make any future changes.

The Bill performs four main functions. It:

(1) repeals the ECA;

(2) converts EU law as it stands at the moment of exit into domestic law before the UK leaves the EU;

(3) creates powers to make secondary legislation, including temporary powers to enable corrections to be made to the laws that would otherwise no longer operate appropriately once the UK has left the EU and to implement a withdrawal agreement; and 

(4) maintains the current scope of devolved decision making powers in areas currently governed by EU law.

Subscribers to Cardinal Environment Limited Tailored EHS Legislation Registers and Law Checklists for the UK, and the regional variants, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Britain, and England &a Wales, will be substantively affected by the law changes created by this Bill and other Brexit UK laws. 

To assist the transition, we will add an additional direct linking webpage to both the Health and Safety, and the Environmental Registers access. This page will give direct access to the Brexit laws, and their explanatory notes. Please keep following this bLog for updates.

The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is found here. The Explanatory Notes are here. 

UK exits the EU (3rd country status)

UPDATE : the EU position paper dated 20th September 2017 sets out the current position – this document is here.

In a speech this morning Michel Barnier set out the implications for customs and rules of origin checks to operate from 30 March 2019 00:00h CET (when the UK is a third country as respects trade with the EU).
This post is updated with a link to the EU position paper of 20th September. The images are screen grabs of the tweets of BBC correspondent Damian Grammaticas who attended the speech. 

Note: this information could alter if transitional arrangements are agreed, or indeed if a EU-UK trade agreement materialises.

Note: this Blog has an environment and health and safety focus, please refer elsewhere for more detailed information on third country customs and single market trading rules.

UK exits the EU (medicines and veterinary products)

On 2nd May 2017 the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency (currently based in London) issued a Q&A document. This first list of questions and answers addresses the establishment requirements (within the EEA), and will be updated.

The document is here. From 30th March 2019 00:00 hrs (CET) the UK will be a (EEA) third country, and the following provisions will apply :

(1) marketing authorisation holders must be established in the EEA (this includes Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein),

(2) Qualified Persons for Pharmacovigilance (QPPV) must reside and carry out their tasks within the EEA,

(3) the Pharmacovigilance System Master File (PSMF) must be located within the EEA,

(4) active substances manufactured in the UK will be considered imported active substances, 

(5) medicinal products manufactured in the UK will be considered imported medicinal products, 

(6) batch release sites (for certification) must be located in the EEA.