Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Office for Environmental Protection.
In line with Cabinet Office guidance regarding new arm's length bodies, Defra conducted a review of the Office for Environmental Protection between May and July 2022. The review focused on the efficacy, efficiency, governance and accountability of the new body. Twelve recommendations were identified to improve administration and governance processes. The initial review concluded that a full review was not required at this early stage of the OEP's operations. The full list of recommendations are published on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/office-for-environmental-protection-public-body-review-outcome/outcome-recommendations-from-the-oep-review-2022-to-2023).