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

13 Recommendations

17 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

2 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 4 events

25 Mar
2026

Report published

74th Report - Environmental regulation

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…

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…

2 Feb
2026

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

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	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 results

1 Conclusion Acknowledged

74th Report - Environmental regula…

On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...

On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency, and Natural England.1

Government Response

The government agrees with the Committee’s concerns about the effectiveness, coherence and resourcing of environmental regulation, and will provide a written update within six months, setting out progress across these reforms.

HM Treasury

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26 Conclusion Acknowledged

74th Report - Environmental regula…

The Planning and Infrastructure Act is a wide-ranging reform of the planning system, intended to...

The Planning and Infrastructure Act is a wide-ranging reform of the planning system, intended to accelerate housing delivery and remove barriers to infrastructure development across England. The Act introduces the Nature Restoration Levy, a mechanism which allows developers pay into … Read more

Government Response

The government acknowledges the committee's description of the Planning and Infrastructure Act and the Nature Restoration Levy, clarifying that Biodiversity Net Gain and the Nature Restoration Fund are distinct yet complementary policies.

HM Treasury

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27 Conclusion Acknowledged

74th Report - Environmental regula…

Defra told us that the Nature Restoration Fund is an innovative solution which will unblock...

Defra told us that the Nature Restoration Fund is an innovative solution which will unblock developments and also deliver better outcomes for nature.72 It explained that the Fund will allow it to take a wider view of actions it can … Read more

Government Response

The government acknowledges the Nature Restoration Fund, clarifying its role as distinct but complementary to Biodiversity Net Gain, focusing on unblocking developments stalled by environmental obligations while BNG applies more broadly to new housing and infrastructure projects.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 30 of 13 classified

Accepted 25

Accepted in Part 1

Acknowledged 3

Deferred 1

Total 13 recs + 17 conclusions

Correspondence 2 letters

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

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