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

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Wales on the need to establish a permanent environmental governance body to enable compliance with legal obligations under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Aarhus Convention.

My Department is in regular contact with the Welsh Government (alongside other Devolved Governments) regarding environmental governance. The Welsh Government has set out its intention to establish a Commission for the environment and has appointed an interim complaints assessor.

The UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (which reflects within it certain obligations under the Aarhus Convention to which the UK is also a signatory) places obligations on the parties to ensure that their competent authorities (which enforce relevant law with regard to environment and climate) give due consideration to alleged breaches of law, and that there are sufficient remedies available, dissuasive sanctions and judicial proceedings accessible to natural and legal persons.

The UK has a well-established environment regulatory and enforcement regime. Regulators such as the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Health and Safety Executive, local authorities and their equivalents across the Devolved Administrations have the powers to regulate or take enforcement action against third parties such as business.