Tuesday 28 October from
10am, Room 6 in Palace of Westminster
Created to bring all environmental regulation under one roof, the
Environment Agency (EA) remit covers over 40 regulatory regimes
that aim to protect England's air, water and land
quality.
On Tuesday 28 October, MPs on the EFRA Committee will question
the Chair and Chief Executive of the EA to understand the
priorities for its leadership. The session will range across
questions of resourcing and staffing to regulation of the
agricultural sector, tackling water pollution and water
security.
Recent reviews suggest the powers of the EA are to be reduced.
The Independent Water Commission (July 2025) proposed a new
integrated water regulator while a Cabinet Office review is
looking to redefine the role of arm's length bodies across
government departments.
The EA faces questions about the organisation's oversight of
environmental protection and inspections. Some suggest that the
EA may be too risk-averse to using enforcement powers, which have
recently been increased. Criticisms of the EA's handling of water
regulation will be explored.
MPs will consider the EA's relationship with farmers, including
its approach to inspections, the use of sewage sludge and how the
Agency deals with environmental breaches by livestock
farmers.
Finally, the Committee will seek an update on the drought
situation in England and how the EA plans to deliver water
security across different sectors.
Witnesses, from 10.00:
- Philip Duffy, Chief Executive, Environment Agency
- Alan Lovell, Chair, Environment Agency
A key responsibility of select committees is to scrutinise the
work of EFRA and its arm's length bodies. In this Parliament, the
EFRA Committee has questioned Ofwat and held two evidence
sessions with the former Secretary of State, MP and senior officials. The
Committee expects to question the recently appointed Secretary of
State, MP, in November.
