1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: By the end of 2021 (as Parliamentary time allows). 1.2 The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (the department) agrees with the importance of setting out a timetable as per the recommendation. • The department’s first suite of long-term targets will be laid before Parliament by October 2022. The related interim targets, covering at least 5 years, will be included in a revised Environment Plan, to be published by January 2023. • The government will conduct its first 5-yearly review of the Environment Plan by January 2023, as required by the current Environment Bill. This will consider progress, and further measures needed, towards environmental improvement. • The Environment Bill’s targets framework allows for long-term targets to be set on any aspect of the natural environment, or people’s enjoyment of it. • The Environment Bill requires the government to lay annual progress reports before Parliament and update the Outcome Indicator Framework (OIF) that will describe what has been done and whether the natural environment has improved over the reporting period. Additionally, progress under the Environment Plan will be monitored by the new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). • The OIF incorporates the breadth of best available technical expertise across the Defra group and beyond. The department plans to report on over 40 indicators in the 2021 update. The development of indicators requires innovative and entirely new scientific research and development in complex areas. The department is aiming to finalise all 66 indicators by 2024, however, adequate lead-in times are required to ensure sufficient high-quality data is available for transparent and robust analysis.