The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 brought a large number of EU laws and regulation into our domestic law. This was called Retained EU Law (REUL), and had special status, reflecting the supremacy of EU law, European Court of Justice case law and EU legal principles. In September 2022, the Government introduced the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. The Bill will abolish this special status and will enable the Government, through Parliament, to amend more easily, repeal and replace REUL.
The Government remains fully committed to maintaining the UK’s environmental standards and Ministers have made clear assurances at all stages of the Bill’s passage not to reduce environmental standards and protections. The Government has set stretching new targets under the Environment Act 2021, which together form one of the most ambitious environmental programmes in the world. The Environmental Improvement Plan sets out in detail how the Government will deliver on its targets and duties. This includes measures such as the Species Survival Fund to create, enhance and restore habitats, as well as plans to support a transformation in the management of 70 per cent of our countryside through incentivising farmers to adopt nature friendly farming practices. The Government is investing more than £750 million in tree planting and peatland restoration through the Nature for Climate Fund.
Further, the Government has driven action to improve nature globally. At the UN Nature Summit, COP15, a new Global Biodiversity Framework was agreed, with 23 targets, including to protect 30 per cent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
I hope this has provided you with reassurance that my ministerial colleagues and I are fully committed to maintaining our environmental standards.