The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hear evidence from the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on 2nd February as part of its ongoing inquiry into environmental regulation.
The Committee will hear oral evidence from the following witnesses on Monday 2nd February at 3.30pm:
- Paul Kissack - Permanent Secretary at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Sally Randall - Director General for Environment at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Philip Duffy - Chief Executive at Environment Agency
- Marian Spain - Chief Executive at Natural England
The PAC inquiry is examining how can the government can use environmental regulation to safeguard nature and drive economic growth.
The government has stated a clear intention to streamline regulation to both safeguard nature and drive economic growth. However, a report released earlier this year by the Office for Environmental Protection found the government was likely to achieve just five of its 43 environmental targets and commitments, and three of the 13 Environmental Act 2021 targets.
Following three separate reviews, Defra and its arms-length bodies, which include the Environment Agency and Natural England, face 149 recommendations to help address the challenges in improving environmental regulation.
A recent report from the National Audit Office found that the current approach to regulation has largely been reactive, focusing on short-term priorities or high-profile issues, rather than being based on a clear, long-term strategy. It also highlighted the issues with overlapping responsibilities, and a risk-adverse approach combined with ridged funding arrangements stifling some activities and innovations.
MPs are likely to question the witnesses on the readiness of their organisations to implement the scale and quantity of reforms needed and consider the need for an overarching strategy to guide efforts.
The Committee may also explore if regulators have the skills and necessary data to target their efforts more effectively and how businesses can be better supported in working with regulators.
Click here to watch the evidence session live on Parliamentlive.tv or to catch up later
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