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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the Environment Agency has sufficient (a) resource, (b) legal expertise and (c) access to court time to enforce environmental protection laws.

Environment Agency (EA) funding and resource is closely monitored to ensure that the agency can carry out its duties and functions effectively. EA funding is currently being reviewed in line with Defra’s departmental Spending Review process.

The EA has specialist legal expertise in the enforcement and prosecution of environmental crime including water company failures. The EA has very recently increased the number of specialist prosecuting lawyers dealing with pollution cases.

The EA has exactly the same access to court time as other prosecuting authorities.