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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Office for Environmental Protection.

Defra and the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) share an ambition to protect and enhance the environment. Nature is at the very foundation of growth, as nature’s recovery is a prerequisite of prosperity, health and wellbeing. It is Defra’s urgent priority to secure better outcomes for nature while accelerating growth, including through sustainable infrastructure development. Defra welcomes the OEP’s engagement in this agenda and supports a constructive relationship with them.