environment

WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE CHEMICAL STANDARDS AT RISK FROM ENVIRONMENT BILL

The CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, Dr Richard Benwell (until recently Special Adviser to Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove, and currently Liberal Democrat candidate for Wantage), has warned that the Environment Bill contains discretionary powers for the Secretary of State to vary, water down or even remove long established chemical standards for controlled waters set by the Water Framework Directive.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR WALES COMMITTEE REPORT ON ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE POST BREXIT

On 2 October 2019, the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly for Wales published a report on ‘Environmental principles and governance post-Brexit’, containing very important recommendations to the Welsh Government for the way in which environmental laws and principles should be enacted, applied and enforced in Wales post Brexit.

SUPREME COURT RULES PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT UNLAWFUL, NULL AND VOID

In a historic judgment on combined appeals from England and Scotland on 24 September 2019, all 11 Justices of the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Prime Minister Johnson’s advice to the Queen to prorogue Parliament for five weeks from mid September to 14 October 2019 prevented Parliament from carrying out its constitutional role.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES BILLS FALL WITH THE PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT: ENVIRONMENT BILL NOT YET INTRODUCED

With the (somewhat controversial) prorogation of Parliament from 9 September to 14 October 2019, it would appear that the Agriculture Bill, the Fisheries Bill and other key legislation including the Trade Bill, which were going through Parliament on 9 September will now technically ‘fall’.