UK Inquiry Tracker

Environmental regulation

Public Accounts Committee Open Inquiry

Opened: 12 Dec 2025 Parliament page

Regulation is one of the main tools the government is using to make a success of the Environmental Improvement Plan . Government’s stated intention is to streamline regulation, to both safeguard nature and drive economic growth. Environmental regulators are sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), … Read more Regulation is one of the main tools the government is using to make a success of the Environmental Improvement Plan . Government’s stated intention is to streamline regulation, to both safeguard nature and drive economic growth. Environmental regulators are sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with the two largest being the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. An independent review this year of Defra’s regulatory landscape found that the system is not working as well as it should to support either nature recovery or economic growth. The PAC’s 2022 report on government actions to combat waste crime found that the approach in this area had been closer to decriminalisation than tackling the problem. It warned in 2021 when scrutinising how government works to achieve its long-term environmental goals that progress was disappointing, with the complexity of environmental issues not a good enough excuse for serious delays in tackling critical environmental issues like air quality, water quality and wildlife loss. In early 2026, the National Audit Office (NAO) publishes its study examining to what extent the EA and Natural England are well-placed to maximise the environmental benefits of how they regulate while ensuring business costs are proportionate. Proceeding from the NAO’s findings, the PAC will hear from senior officials at Defra, EA and Natural England as it scrutinises what regulators and Defra need to do to implement the change required to meet government’s environmental aims. If you have evidence on these issues, please submit here by 23:59 on Wednesday 21 January 2026 . Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. The Committee decides what information to publish and how. You can request anonymity or confidentiality when you send evidence, but it is for the Committee to say whether it will agree.It may treat submissions confidentially, even where you have not requested this. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues. Show less

5 Recommendations

25 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

2 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 5 events

25 Mar
2026

Report published

74th Report - Environmental regulation

23 Feb
2026

Correspondence

Letter from the Chief Executive Officer of the Environment Agency relating to the Committee’s evidence session on 02 February 2026 on Envir…

23 Feb
2026

Correspondence

Letter from the Chief Executive of Natural England relating to the Committee’s evidence session on 02 February 2026 on Environmental Regula…

2 Feb
2026

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

2 Feb
2026

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

2 Feb 2026

View on parliament.uk

Marian Spain · Natural England Paul Kissack · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Philip Duffy · Environment Agency Sally Randall · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
74th Report - Environmental regulation	HC 1687	25 Mar 2026	30	Overdue

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 results

3 Recommendation Accepted

74th Report - Environmental regula…

Defra and the regulators are still a long way from where they need to be...

Defra and the regulators are still a long way from where they need to be in modernising their IT systems and processes. In 2023, we reported that Defra and its arm’s-length bodies had one of the most significant legacy IT … Read more

Government Response

Natural England has assigned a Chief Officer with responsibility for Digital and Data; Defra is directing transformation investment towards regulatory activities.

HM Treasury

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4 Recommendation Accepted

74th Report - Environmental regula…

Waste regulation as currently set up is not effective enough at stopping waste crime or...

Waste regulation as currently set up is not effective enough at stopping waste crime or non-compliance. Regulation of the waste sector is not adequately addressing the rising problem of illegal waste dumping. We are encouraged by the Environment Agency’s recent … Read more

Government Response

Defra will strengthen intelligence capabilities, invest in advanced technologies, and review intelligence sharing between agencies to improve detection of waste crime, including evaluating the application of new technologies to improve response times. The Home Office and NPCC will review the multi-agency response and the Environment Agency is introducing a new Operational Waste Intelligence and Analysis Unit.

HM Treasury

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6 Recommendation Accepted

74th Report - Environmental regula…

The Nature Restoration Fund has potential to benefit the environment and support developers, but we...

The Nature Restoration Fund has potential to benefit the environment and support developers, but we are not yet convinced Defra and Natural England are able to implement it effectively. The Nature Restoration Fund is an innovative solution to raising funds … Read more The Nature Restoration Fund has potential to benefit the environment and support developers, but we are not yet convinced Defra and Natural England are able to implement it effectively. The Nature Restoration Fund is an innovative solution to raising funds and commissioning projects to improve the environment when building, housing and infrastructure developments affect protected sites or species. It is an optional scheme which developers can join to discharge their environmental obligations. The Fund has the potential to better protect the environment, though it is in the early stages of policy design. Natural England expects to publish the first Environmental Delivery Plans in the Spring and Summer of 2026. Defra and its arm’s length bodies do not have a good and consistent track record in delivering complex and innovative schemes. Defra’s Biodiversity Net Gain initiative included similar aims to those of the Nature Restoration Fund, but was launched before it had all the elements in place which would enable its long-term success. Natural England will be leading on implementation of the Fund but has gaps in planning and digital skills, and is already under pressure to deliver its current responsibilities. We intend to provide scrutiny of the Nature Restoration Fund as its implementation progresses, to ensure that it delivers the intended benefits. We have concerns how, in the Nature Restoration Fund, Natural England will balance its obligations to restore nature with providing a timely and value for money scheme without putting extra burdens on developers. 6 recommendation a. Defra and Natural England should set out their plans to report publicly on progress and milestones with the Nature Restoration Fund, and should provide regular progress updates. b. Defra should clarify how the Nature Restoration Fund and Biodiversity Net Gain will work alongside each other, and how it will apply lessons learned from its implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain to the implement Show less

Government Response

Defra and Natural England published the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) Implementation Plan, setting out the approach to delivering the NRF, including plans for reporting on progress. The government will also provide updates on key developments as delivery progresses and has committed to report back to Parliament on the first nutrient pollution EDPs before any other EDPs are published.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 6 of 5 classified

Accepted 3

Accepted in Part 1

Acknowledged 1

Deferred 1

Total 5 recs + 25 conclusions

Correspondence 2 letters

23 Feb 2026 To committee Letter from the Chief Executive Officer of the Environment Agency relating to the Committee’s evidence session on 02 February 2026 on Environmental Regulation, 06 February 2026

Parliament page

23 Feb 2026 To committee Letter from the Chief Executive of Natural England relating to the Committee’s evidence session on 02 February 2026 on Environmental Regulation, 13 February 2026

Parliament page