Building Safety Regulator (England)

Clause 2 of the Building Safety Bill (not yet enacted), appoints the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the Building Safety Regulator in England.

The Building Safety Regulator will be an independent regulator with its own powers, strategic plan, and programme of work. It will give expert advice to local regulators, landlords and building owners, the construction and building design industry, and to residents.

The Bill proposes that the Building Safety Regulator will have two objectives:

(1) securing the safety of people in and around buildings in relation to risks from buildings

(2) improving building standards.

The Building Safety Regulator will:

* implement a new, more stringent regulatory regime for high-rise buildings in England (high-rise buildings are residential buildings of 7 storeys or more or 18 metres or more in height and in the design and construction phase only, including care homes and hospitals that meet the same height threshold)

* be the building control authority in England for building work on high-rise buildings

* oversee and enforce a new regime for occupation of high-rise buildings

* oversee the safety and performance of all buildings. This has two aspects:

(1) overseeing the performance of other building control bodies (local authorities and registered building control approvers (currently known as approved inspectors))

(2) understanding and advising on existing and emerging building standards and safety risks

* promote competence among industry professionals and regulators to raise standards in the design, construction, and management of buildings.

The HSE published on 14 October 2021 a fact sheet on its proposed enforcement approach – here.

This fact sheet states the HSE intends that –

* the Building Safety Regulator will deliver evidence-based, proportionate, and targeted engagement and interventions with dutyholders,

* the Building Safety Regulator’s programme of work will include communication activities to advise and support dutyholders and residents,

* enforcement activities and sanctions will be targeted to improve the safety and performance of buildings.

The Building Safety Bill provides for greater regulatory scrutiny and the HSE expects a series of hard stops at key stages during design and construction to be introduced by separate regulation (enacted under the Bill when it is an Act and commenced).

During occupation of the buildings in scope, the Bill requires dutyholders to demonstrate ongoing management of building safety risk through a safety case report. The HSE fact sheet states this will give the Building Safety Regulator a wide range of tools to achieve improved building safety performance and to deliver the culture change identified in Dame Judith Hackitt’s review Building a Safer Future.

The Building Safety Regulator will be responsible for the regulatory decisions during the design, construction, occupation and refurbishment of high-rise buildings.

Per the HSE fact sheet – the Building Safety Regulator’s activities to achieve building safety and performance outcomes will include:

* granting permission to proceed with construction work and issuing completion certificates at appropriate points in the construction and occupation phases

* a process of providing certification following assessment of the in-occupation safety case

as well as formal enforcement and sanctions.

There will be a published Enforcement Policy Statement (EPS). But it may be the HSE arrives at a position that it’s existing HSE EPS is sufficiently flexible to accommodate its new responsibilities as the Building Safety Regulator or it requires some amendment but is still the right vehicle.

Re the building safety report – the bill requires a building specific safety case report to be produced (high rise buildings in the design and construction phase). This safety case report will identify the fire and structural hazards associated with the building. It will set out how the risks they present are being managed to prevent the risks materialising and reduce the severity of any incident resulting if the risks do materialise. The adequacy of the safety case will be assessed by the Building Safety Regulator, working with multi-disciplinary teams, as part of the building assessment certification process.

Re oversight of existing building control inspection – the Building Safety Regulator will monitor the performance of local authority building control bodies and private sector building control approvers. The fact sheet states the HSE will also oversee and regulate all individuals working as building inspectors. Building inspectors and building control approvers will be subject to a registration requirement and the Building Safety Regulator may suspend or remove inspectors from the register and address performance and professional misconduct. The fact sheet states there will be improved competence and accountability through the creation of a unified professional and regulatory structure.

Plastic Bag Charge in law (England)

The legislation increasing the plastic bag charge in England was enacted yesterday 20 May, and comes into force today 21 May – this legislation is here. [I blog posted about this before]

It will be added to those Cardinal Environment EHS Legislation Registers & Checklists that monitor the Plastic Bag Charges. It amends the existing 2015 Order (the Carrier Bags Order).

[Separate legislation in Scotland, already added, has already increased the charge in Scotland.]

Article 3 amends the Carrier Bags Order by omitting the expiry date of 5th October 2022 in article 1(d), by which that Order would have ceased to have effect. Articles 6, 7, 10 and 11 make amendments to the Carrier Bags Order consequential on the omission of the expiry date.

Articles 4 and 8 amend the Carrier Bags Order in order to substitute a new definition of “seller”. This brings all sellers of goods under the obligation to charge in article 3 of the Carrier Bags Order and restricts the obligation relating to records in article 4 of, and Schedule 3 to, that Order to sellers within the meaning given in Schedule 1.

Article 5 amends the Carrier Bags Order in order to increase the minimum charge for each single use carrier bag (SUCB) supplied in a reporting year from 5 pence to 10 pence.

Article 9 amends the definition of SUCB in Schedule 2 to the Carrier Bags Order by amending the list of “excluded bags” in the table.

The effect of this is –

(1) The single-use carrier bag charge is increased to 10 pence and extended to all retailers in England from today (21 May). This includes small, medium and micro retailers (including airport retailers).

(2) An extra 10 pence is not chargeable if a charge of 10 pence or more is already charged for bags.

(3) Biodegradable bags are not exempt from the charge.

(4) Carrier bag use records or reports do not need to be made if the company employs fewer than 250 staff.

Fire Safety Bill (England and Wales)

I posted before about the Fire Safety Bill. The current version is here.

The Queen’s Speech included a commitment to bring forward a Fire Safety Bill, its purpose being to clarify that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the Fire Safety Order) applies to external walls (including cladding, balconies and windows) and individual flat entrance doors in multi-occupied residential buildings.

This is relevant to building owners, leaseholders or managers of multi-occupied residential buildings who are likely to be the responsible persons and who need to ensure that they have assessed the fire safety risks of the premises for which they are responsible, and have taken the necessary fire precautions as a result of that assessment.

The Fire Safety Bill also affirms Fire and Rescue Authorities have the relevant enforcement powers to hold owners or managers to account.

It complements existing powers local authorities have to take enforcement action against building owners and managers under the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) provided for in the Housing Act 2004 and the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/1230) which came into force on 21 December 2018 and banned the use of combustible materials within the external walls, and certain attachments to the external walls, of any new building at least 18 metres in height where:

* the building contains at least one dwelling;

* the building contains certain residential accommodation for the treatment, care or maintenance of persons; and

* the building contains certain rooms used for residential purposes, including student accommodation and school dormitories.

Including such a building created by a material change of use.

The Fire Safety Bill supports the Government’s intended action to introduce secondary legislation to implement the specific recommendations made in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One Report. The recommendations called for new legal duties on “building owners or managers of high-rise buildings” in relation to inspection and information sharing with the local Fire and Rescue Service. This includes the requirement for building owners or managers to share information with their local Fire and Rescue Service about the design of its external walls and details of the materials from which they are constructed and to undertake regular inspections of individual flat entrance doors.

The Fire Safety Bill is now ready for Royal Assent today 29 April.

When published, it will be consolidated into the existing 2005 Fire Safety Order and added to Cardinal Environment EHS Legislation Registers & Checklists (England, Wales, and England & Wales).

The secondary legislation is likely to be of interest.

New Legal Duty to Self-Isolate (England)

From 12am this morning, 28 September 2020, a new legal duty exists to self-isolate if notified (by persons identified in the legislation) as being a person who has (a) tested positive for COVID-19 after 28 September 2020 or (b) had a close contact after 28 September 2020 with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The notified person must self-isolate (for the period and as stipulated in the Legislation), and must also notify each person living in his/her household. The Legislation does not set out legal duties for household members.

The Legislation – The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self- Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 (SI 1045) – is here.

Close contact means –

(1) having face-to-face contact with someone at a distance of less than 1 metre,

(2) spending more than 15 minutes within 2 metres of an individual,

(3) travelling in a car or other small vehicle with an individual or in close proximity to an individual on an aeroplane.

Please note the duties on Employers.

The Stay at Home Guidance is also updated 28 September – you will see this has instructions for household members. The status of the document is Guidance. The document is here.

Environment Bill (England & UK, Brexit)

Exit day is tomorrow, the transition period will last until 31st December.

The Environment Bill (from the previous session) is being brought back today and given its First Reading in the UK Parliament.

I Blog posted already about the earlier Environment Bill (various sections). When the Bill is published I will reprise those areas that are changed, and Blog post as well on the further sections I had not covered.

To remind – the Environment Bill is an important Bill setting up the Office for Environmental Protection (England) and making further changes to UK REACH to enable it to function from 1st Jan 2021, and additionally setting out other measures (England, and some provisions for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

The government announcement last night signals :

(1) A ban on the export of plastic waste (which was in the Conservative manifesto), additional to the waste provisions in the previous Bill. Note, the waste provisions as signalled do not align with the 2019 EU Single-Use Plastics Directive.

(2) A bi-annual review of international developments in environmental law that it says will inform domestic law making.

Please look out for further Blog posts on the matter, when the Bill is published.

Agriculture & Fisheries Bills (UK Brexit)

Exit day is Friday (11pm UK time)

The Brexit Agriculture Bill is already published and has a its Second Reading in February. The Brexit Fisheries Bill is being published later today.

The Agriculture Bill relates to England predominantly (and some provisions apply in Wales and Northern Ireland). It mainly deals with agriculture supports (phasing in a new changed basis for these supports that rewards nature and environmental protection), and government collection of data from economic actors in the food supply chain, in England. It enables England, Wales and Northern Ireland to set their own food marketing standards. Separate Agriculture Bills are expected in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Fisheries Bill is [update 30th Jan] publicised by the UK Government – it is not yet in the list of Bills. It sets up a new system for marine and coastal fisheries management, gives new powers to Devolved Governments, and includes a set of UK-wide objectives to manage fisheries stocks sustainably (and a new objective to move towards “climate-smart” fishing in UK waters). It gives new powers to the Marine Management Organisation to give advice and assistance on sustainable fisheries, marine planning, licensing and conservation overseas.

Further Blog posts will be issued on these matters in due course.

Environment Bill (published) – Part 5 (England & UK part)

The Bill is here. 130 Clauses in 8 Parts, and 20 Schedules.

The Explanatory Memorandum is here.

The Environment Bill (“the Bill”) is comprised of two thematic halves.

(1) A legal framework for environmental governance once the UK leaves the EU.

This was earlier published in part as the draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill on 19 December 2018, fulfilling a legal obligation set out in section 16 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The measures published at that time related only to environmental principles and governance, and placing the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan on a statutory footing.

I posted three Blog posts so far about the first thematic half – one on UK REACH, one on Parts 1&2, and one on the OEP.

(2) Provision for specific improvement of the environment, including measures on waste and resource efficiency, air quality and environmental recall, water, nature and biodiversity, and conservation covenants.

SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENT of the ENVIRONMENT

Part 5 – Water – includes –

– improving water resources planning, which facilitates collaborative regional planning and considers the needs of all sectors of water users, including the environment;

[in the context of water scarcity in certain locations, although not specifically mentioned, we may need to see the construction of further reservoirs]

– placing on a statutory footing drainage and wastewater planning to assess risks to sewerage networks and network capacity;

– modernising water regulation by reforming elements of the abstraction licensing regime to link it more tightly to the government’s objectives for the water environment;

– enabling updates to be made to the valuation calculations relevant to the apportionment of internal drainage board (IDB) charges in secondary legislation, allowing for the creation of new or expansion of existing IDBs where there is a local desire to do so;

– enabling updates to the lists of priority substances that pose a threat to water bodies in line with the latest scientific knowledge, when there are no longer powers under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.

Clause 79 sets out these powers. Note the consent requirements re the devolved administrations –

– Clause 79 Subsection (4) establishes that the Secretary of State can only exercise the powers in this section to make provision that could be made by the Welsh Ministers or Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs under their own powers in clauses 80 and 81 respectively with their consent.

– Clause 79 Subsection (5) establishes that the Secretary of State cannot exercise the powers in this section to make provisions which would fall within the Scottish Parliament’s devolved competency, given effect by powers under an Act of that Parliament, with the exception of parts of the cross border river basin districts lying in Scotland, where the Secretary of State could exercise the powers to make provisions but only with Scottish Ministers’ consent.

– Clause 79 Subsection (6) establishes the consultation requirements attached to the exercise of the powers. Subsection (6)(b) requires the Secretary of State to consult with Welsh Ministers when making regulations applying to an England and Wales cross-border River Basin District (RBD) that lies in England, and when the Welsh Ministers’ consent is not required under subsection (4). This would mean consultation is only required if the provision being made is only for the English part and does not apply to the part in Wales. Subsection (5)(c) places the same consultation requirements on the Secretary of State in relation to the cross-border RBDs shared with Scotland.

Note –

– Clause 80 confers a regulation, broadly comparable to that in clause 79, on the Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales. Subsection (4) requires consultation with the Natural Resources Body for Wales, other interested persons or bodies, and with the Secretary of State when exercising the power in relation to the Welsh part of a cross-border RBD.

– Clause 81 confers the same power on the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in relation to Northern Ireland.

—————

As a Bill, this document would need to pass both Houses of Parliament to enter the statute books. You note, I pegged this as England.

However, some Clauses are intended to have effect outside England – see page 194 of the Explanatory Memorandum which has a table. And see earlier re environmental quality standards and substance lists.

If the Bill enters the statute books, the provisions then need to be commenced, some may be commenced immediately, such as those that are needed directly for EU Exit, but there could be a substantive delay in the commencement of other Part, such as Part 5.

I will issue further Blog posts, please look out for them.

Environment Bill (the OEP) (England & UK part)

The Environment Bill creates a new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), in England (with extension to Northern Ireland), I identified this in an earlier post.

This is necessary because Exiting the EU will leave a gap in governance.

The Bill –

– creates a statutory obligation on the Secretary of State, in exercising functions relating to the OEP, for example when making ministerial appointments to the OEP, to have regard to the independence of the OEP

[a Ministerial Statement will confirm the OEP will be given five year ring fenced indicative budget]

– covers climate change – the earlier exclusion of climate legislation is removed

– could consider in scope the spending of other departments on matters that related to environmental law (this is not however, the same, as the EU’s explicit incorporation of the environment in the policy making of all departments)

– envisages and facilitates (via information sharing) cooperation and mandates consultation (on transboundary areas) with any equivalent ‘devolved environmental body’ that is set up in Scotland and Wales

– extends to Northern Ireland (a Schedule in the Bill covers this) if so mandated by a restored Stormont – the Schedule provides for the Chair of such a NI extension to be selected by the Secretary of State for NI and DAERA (the environment department in NI)

– includes ‘environmental review’ enforcement powers in the Upper Tribunal

The OEP will launch to coincide with the IP (Implementation Period) completion day – 31st Dec 2020.

Scotland and Wales have made no announcements re their own bodies.

Environment Bill (published) – Part 4 (England & UK Part)

The Bill is here. 130 Clauses in 8 Parts, and 20 Schedules.

The Explanatory Memorandum is here.

The Environment Bill (“the Bill”) is comprised of two thematic halves.

(1) A legal framework for environmental governance once the UK leaves the EU.

This was earlier published in part as the draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill on 19 December 2018, fulfilling a legal obligation set out in section 16 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The measures published at that time related only to environmental principles and governance, and placing the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan on a statutory footing.

I posted two Blog posts about this (Brexit) – one on Parts 1&2 and one on the Environment Bill changing UK REACH (Brexit Law).

(2) Provision for specific improvement of the environment, including measures on waste and resource efficiency, air quality and environmental recall, water, nature and biodiversity, and conservation covenants.

SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENT of the ENVIRONMENT

Part 4 – Air Quality and Environmental Recall Part of the Environment Bill – includes –

– amending Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 (which creates the Local Air Quality Management Framework) to strengthen the requirements in respect of the National Air Quality Strategy, including a requirement for it to be regularly reviewed;

– amending the Local Air Quality Management Framework to clarify duties and enable greater cooperation between different levels of local government, and other relevant public bodies, in the preparation of Local Air Quality Action Plans;

– amending Part III of the Clean Air Act 1993 to enable quicker, simpler and more proportionate enforcement of Smoke Control Areas, a key means by which local authorities can control pollution from domestic solid fuel burning;

Specifically – Schedule 13 would amend the Clean Air Act 1993 to give local authorities the power to impose financial penalties for the emission of smoke in smoke control areas (SCAs) in England. This means that the emission of smoke from a chimney of a building or a chimney (not being a chimney of a building) that serves the furnace of any fixed boiler or industrial plant in an SCA in England will change from being a criminal offence to instead being subject to a civil penalty notice (a fine).

The change will remove the current statutory defences that are making enforcement by local authorities very challenging, and reduce the burden and cost associated with enforcing SCAs.

– amending Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) to remove the private dwelling exemption (from statutory nuisance enforcement), enabling a local authority in England to pursue somebody who emits smoke from a private dwelling in a Smoke Control Area where it is prejudicial to human health or causing a nuisance.

– removing the limit on the fine for the offence of selling controlled solid fuels for delivery (leaving it to the discretion of the Magistrate’s Court), and creating a new duty on retailers to notify customers of the law regarding the acquisition of controlled solid fuels in England, to help raise consumer awareness and improve compliance.

– providing for mandatory recall notices for vehicles and equipment that do not comply with relevant environmental standards and for fines to be issued when a minimum recall rate is not met.

As a Bill, this document would need to pass both Houses of Parliament to enter the statute books. You note, I pegged this as England.

However, some Clauses are intended to have effect outside England – see page 194 of the Explanatory Memorandum which has a table.

If the Bill enters the statute books, the provisions then need to be commenced, some may be commenced immediately, such as those that are needed directly for EU Exit, but there could be a substantive delay in the commencement of other Part, such as Part 4.

I will issue further Blog posts, please look out for them.

Environment Bill (published) Part 3 (England & UK part)

The Bill is here. 130 Clauses in 8 Parts, and 20 Schedules.

The Explanatory Memorandum is here.

The Environment Bill (“the Bill”) is comprised of two thematic halves.

(1) A legal framework for environmental governance once the UK leaves the EU.

This was earlier published in part as the draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill on 19 December 2018, fulfilling a legal obligation set out in section 16 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The measures published at that time related only to environmental principles and governance, and placing the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan on a statutory footing.

I posted two Blog posts about this (Brexit) – one on Parts 1&2 and one on the Environment Bill changing UK REACH (Brexit Law).

(2) Provision for specific improvement of the environment, including measures on waste and resource efficiency, air quality and environmental recall, water, nature and biodiversity, and conservation covenants.

SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENT of the ENVIRONMENT

Part 3 – the Waste and Resource Efficiency Part of the Environment Bill – includes –

– requiring producers to pay the full net cost of managing their products at end of life to incentivise more sustainable use of resources;

[some of this aligns with EU policy]

– allowing deposit return schemes to be established, whereby a deposit is included in the price of an in-scope item (such as a drink in a bottle or can) which is redeemed when the item is returned to a designated point;

[some EU member states have deposit return schemes, this aspect has been pre-consulted on by DEFRA]

– enabling producer responsibility obligations to be applied at all levels of the waste hierarchy to, for example, facilitate the prevention of food waste and increase the redistribution of food surplus;

[extended producer responsibility is also an EU objective in changes already made to some EU waste law]

– enabling charges to be applied to specified single-use plastic items;

[this aspect has been pre-consulted on by DEFRA]

– requiring local authorities in England to collect the same range of materials for recycling from households;

– ensuring households have a weekly separate food waste collection;

– ensuring businesses and public bodies present recyclable materials for separate collection and arranging for its separate collection;

[some of this is already provided for in existing Law, with regional variants]

– enabling government to set resource efficient product standards and information and labelling requirements, to drive a shift in the market towards durable, repairable and recyclable products;

[I wrote a recent Blog post about changes in EU eco-design law in this area]

– improving proportionality and fairness of litter enforcement, by issuing statutory guidance on the use of enforcement powers and extending an existing power to set out conditions to be met by all those carrying out enforcement activity;

– improving the management of waste, by enabling the Secretary of State to make regulations in relation to waste tracking digitally;

– improving the regulators’ effectiveness in tackling waste crime, reducing the cost of that criminal activity on the wider economy, environment and society;

– allowing the Environment Agency to be more flexible and responsive in managing exempt waste sites and ensure proportionate controls are in place to avoid environmental harm or illegal activity as waste market practices change;

– filling a gap in existing powers to ensure that waste can be collected and disposed of when normal processes fail;

– enabling the Secretary of State to make regulations to amend the permitted range of penalties for existing Fixed Penalty Notices; and

– enabling the Secretary of State to regulate the import, export or transit of waste and hazardous waste.

[Brexit Law makes provision for the international shipment of radioactive waste, shipments of waste to the EU after EU Exit will be subject to EU third country rules, unless new bi-laterals are agreed, or this matter is addressed in the trade deal]

As a Bill, this document would need to pass both Houses of Parliament to enter the statute books. You note, I pegged this as England.

Scotland and Northern Ireland already have Law on food waste. Waste is a devolved matter.

However, some Clauses are intended to have effect outside England – see page 194 of the Explanatory Memorandum which has a table.

If the Bill enters the statute books, the provisions then need to be commenced, some may be commenced immediately, such as those that are needed directly for EU Exit, but there could be a substantive delay in the commencement of other Part, such as Part 3.

I will issue further Blog posts, please look out for them.