Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made in implementing the 25-Year Environment Plan.

The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out the Government’s aim to improve the environment within a generation.

Since the plan was published, the Government has taken decisive action to tackle some of the biggest environmental problems of our age, including:

• Preparations are now underway for the first Environment Bill in 20 years, which will put the 25 Year Environment Plan on a statutory footing and create a new independent watchdog to hold Government to account. Publishing a comprehensive Resources and Waste Strategy to drive further action, while introducing one of the world’s strongest microbeads bans and setting out plans to ban plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers.
• Publishing a new and world leading Clean Air Strategy, which the World Health Organization has welcomed as ‘an example for the rest of the world to follow’.
• Launching the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance and consulting on plans for more than 40 new marine conservation zones across the UK, marking the most significant ‘Blue Belt’ expansion to date.
• Putting one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory into law through our landmark Ivory Act.
• Committing £10 million for an Urban Trees Challenge Fund and announcing £50 million for a new Woodland Carbon Guarantee to stimulate the market in domestic carbon offsetting.
• Making 2019 the Year of Green Action and putting young people at the heart of this action by partnering with Step Up To Serve and its #iwill4nature campaign.

We will report annually to Parliament on the 25 Year Environment Plan, ensuring we are transparent about our progress and achievements and that we can be held to account. The first annual report is due to be laid before Parliament this spring.