Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, of 18 October 2016, Official Report, column 300WH, on Environmental protection, what information the Government holds on the average costs to the litigant of (a) a judicial review, (b) a case being considered by the European Court of Justice and (c) the European Commission; what the scope is of such judgments; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
(a) The Department does not hold data on costs to claimants of specifically environmental judicial reviews. However, information on costs can be found in the paper The Value and Effects of Judicial Review. The Nature of Claims, their Outcomes and Consequences. London: Public Law Project. (available at: http://www.publiclawproject.org.uk/data/resources/210/Value-and-Effects-of-Judicial-Review.pdf). Claimants in environmental cases in the High Court may be entitled to costs protection, limiting their exposure to the defending public authority’s costs to £5,000 for an individual and £10,000 in other cases.
(b) The department does not hold specific information on the costs to a litigant of a case being considered by the Court of Justice of the EU. There are no court fees in the Court of Justice which has power to grant legal aid to litigants.
(c) The department does not hold any information about potential costs to litigants associated with the process of bringing a complaint to the attention of the European Commission.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of harmonising with the Council of Europe's Emerald Network of Areas of Special Conservation Interest; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is currently considering the impact of leaving the EU, including future arrangements for existing legislation. This will include future arrangements for the Natura 2000 suite of sites. The aims and objectives of the Natura 2000 network, designated under the EU Nature Directives, are analogous to those of the Emerald Network, designated under the Bern Convention.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her oral contribution of 18 October 2016, Official Report, 301WH, which directives are no longer fit for purpose; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is currently considering future arrangements for existing EU legislation in preparation for the repeal of the European Communities Act 1972. This ‘Great Repeal Bill’ will end the authority of EU law and return power to the UK. The Bill will effectively convert current EU law into our domestic law. We look forward to working with the industry, rural communities and the wider public to shape our plans for a future outside the EU when we can assess the benefits of moving to an outcomes-focussed regulatory framework.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her oral contribution of 18 October 2016, Official Report, 301WH, which aspects of Natura 2000 will need to be incorporated into UK law; what the other elements she referred to are; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is currently considering the impacts of leaving the EU, including future arrangements for existing legislation. This will include future arrangements for the Natura 2000 suite of sites.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her oral contribution of 18 October 2016, Official Report, 301WH, whether she plans for the UK's participation in Natura 2000 to continue; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government is currently considering the impacts of leaving the EU, including future arrangements for existing legislation. This will include future arrangements for the Natura 2000 suite of sites.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her oral contribution of 18 October 2016, Official Report, 301WH, which UK sites are already designated for protection because of international agreements; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The UK has designated 150 sites under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, including 25 in the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. In addition UK Marine Protected Areas contribute to the well managed ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas under the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic. These can be found on line at http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1389 and http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4549
Our network of protected sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest, National Parks, Marine Conservation Zones, European and Ramsar sites, support the UK’s contribution to achieving the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Target 11 (protected areas increased and improved). These networks also contribute to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals 14: conservation and sustainable use of the marine environment and its resources; and 15: sustainable use of the terrestrial environment and halting biodiversity loss.