Environment Bill continues through Parliament

• Environment Bill returns to Parliament and set to become law in Autumn
• Legislation will improve our air, water and nature, enhancing the environment for future generations
• New amendments will include legally-binding 2030 species target and measures to reduce sewage discharges into rivers

The Government’s legislation to transform our environment has returned to Parliament today (26 May) for Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Commons.

Through the Environment Bill, we will clean up the country’s air, restore natural habitats and increase biodiversity. The Bill will also outline how the government will reduce waste, make better use of resources, and improve management of water resources in a changing climate.

The Bill will crack down on water companies that discharge sewage into rivers and will include a world-leading legally-binding species target for 2030, aiming to halt the decline of nature and to protect beloved British animals, such as red squirrels and hedgehogs.

Welcoming the Environment Bill back to Parliament, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“As we build back greener from the pandemic, it is vital that we address the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss and protect and improve the environment for future generations.

“The Environment Bill will ensure we deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth, which is why it is essential that we complete its passage into law as soon as possible.”

The Government has proposed a number of amendments to the Bill upon its return to Parliament.

We are aiming to halt the decline of nature by amending the Bill to require the Government to set and meet a new legally-binding target on species abundance for 2030. This builds on plans to boost biodiversity, protect our peatlands and create new woodlands as set out last week by the Environment Secretary.

The Environment Bill will also re-focus the Habitats Regulations towards our objective to conserve and enhance biodiversity, and the Government will publish a Green Paper on these reforms later this year. The Green Paper will set out how we plan to deliver our domestic ambitions, as part of our objective of protecting 30 percent of terrestrial land by 2030. We want to ensure our regulatory framework is fit for purpose to drive the delivery of our new 2030 biodiversity target and reverse declines of species, including iconic British species like the hedgehog, red squirrel and water vole.

As announced in the Queen’s Speech on 11 May, we will also be bringing forward amendments later this yearto reduce the harm from storm overflows to our rivers, waterways and coastlines. New duties will require the government to publish a plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows by September 2022 and report to Parliament on the progress towards implementing the plan.

Work on implementing Environment Bill policies has continued at pace. We have already started work on developing legally binding environmental targets, and launched consultations on the deposit return schemes for drinks containers, extended producer responsibility for packaging and consistent recycling collections which will transform the way we deal with our rubbish.

We have appointed Dame Glenys Stacey as Chair of the new, independent Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which will be created to hold the Government and public bodies to account for their environmental credentials. From July, it will be set up in an interim, non-statutory form, providing independent oversight of the Government’s environmental progress and accelerating the foundation of the full body. The OEP will formally commence its statutory functions after the Bill receives Royal Assent.

We have also published a draft Principles Policy Statement which will put protecting the environment at the heart of future policy.

The legislation builds on this Government’s decisive action to protect the environment as set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan. Our binding commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and host the COP26 climate change conference this year will keep the UK at the forefront of international work on these issues.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• For media enquires please contact newsdesk@defra.gov.uk or call 0345 051 8486 outside of office hours and ask for the duty press officer.
• The Environment Bill will have its final day of Report and Third Reading in the Commons on 26 May, before moving to the Lords for further debate and scrutiny. The Bill is set to achieve Royal Assent in the Autumn.
• Amendments on habitats have been tabled and will be debated at Commons Report Stage. Amendments on storm overflows and species abundance will be brought forward in the Lords.

The Environment Bill will:

• Ensure the environment is at the heart of all government policy making and that both this government and future governments are held to account if they fail to uphold their environmental duties, including meeting net-zero by 2050 and new long-term, legally binding targets on biodiversity, air quality, water, and resource and waste efficiency.
• Improve air quality - by requiring a legally-binding target to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the pollutant of most concern for human health, and by increasing local powers to address sources of air pollution.
• Restore and enhance nature - through ‘biodiversity net gain’ ensuring new development enhances nature, helping to deliver thriving natural spaces for local communities. We will improve protection for our natural habitats in supporting a Nature Recovery Network by establishing Local Nature Recovery Strategies, giving communities a greater say in the protection of nature.
• Transform the way we manage our waste - through powers to ensure that producers take responsibility for the waste they create, introducing a consistent approach to recycling including food waste, tackling waste crime, introducing deposit return schemes and more effective litter enforcement. Powers to introduce new charges will minimise the use and impacts of single use plastics, and we will also be able to ban the export of plastic waste to developing countries.
• Protect precious water resources - by increasing sustainable water management through securing long-term, resilient water and wastewater services in the face of a changing climate. Powers to direct water companies to work together to meet current and future demand for water will make planning more robust.

This follows on action we have already taken:

• We introduced one of the world’s toughest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products in 2018 and introduced a ban on the supply of plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers from 1 October 2020.
• We will increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares of trees per year by the end of this Parliament, have created a Nature for Climate Fund to drive a step change in planting in England and have published an England Trees Action Plan.
• We have strengthened protections for ancient woodlands, veteran trees and other irreplaceable habitats in the revised national planning policy framework.
• We have invested £3.8 billion into cleaner air, and emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 32 per cent since 2010 and are at their lowest level since records began.
• We have committed to protect 30 per cent of the UK’s land by 2030 and will create new National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and ten Landscape Recovery projects.