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.
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