The number of pieces of Environmental legislation   According to Caroline Lucas reported in the Guardian, a report* by the House of Commons library there are 1,100 pieces of environmental legislation, this is up on the ‘800’ Andrea Leadsom told the Environmental Audit Committee. Links to the report* are not in the Guardian article and I haven’t been able to find any by searching.

There are many aspects of concern raised by our leaving on the process of managing and implementing ongoing environmental regulation.

Opening the cans   The process of transposing each piece of legislation will be daunting enough and Leadsom acknowledged that a 1/3^rd might be very difficult. But if each legislative can is opened to take ‘opportunities’ by weakening legislation – such as the threats to the habitats directive – then the process becomes very much more demanding since it would be opened to scrutiny by both Parliament and outside stakeholders.

A new Environmental Protection Bill looks like a good idea to house this mass of legislation. The Great repeal (= remove) Bill doesn’t sound a very positive proposition.

Since there is not a squeak from Defra on the process of transposition the speculation will continue.