In an era when the Agencies have been gagged this is a hopeful sign
The proposals form part of the Agency’s response published yesterday to Defra’s recent consultation on environmental principles and governance after the UK leaves the European Union. The Environment Agency has welcomed the government’s agreement in the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 that the environmental principles should be set out in primary legislation. It also supports the proposal for a new independent body accountable to Parliament which would have proportionate enforcement powers against Ministers of the Crown, including the ability to initiate legal proceedings. “This will help ensure that the new body can hold the government to account when the UK leaves the EU2,” the response says. It also agrees that the new body should not replace or duplicate the role of other bodies, including the Environment Agency.