24 Sep 2024
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has submitted advice to the Defra Secretary of State on reviewing and updating Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. Steve Reed, Secretary of State Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has announced a review of the EIP with the intention of developing ‘ambitious new plans to save nature’. He has formally requested […]
14 May 2024
‘Deeply concerning’ failures to properly implement regulations designed to protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters in England mean key targets for improvement will be missed, a report by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. The OEP has carried out a review of the key legislation regarding water quality – the Water Framework Directive […]
19 Mar 2024
The Office for Environmental Protection is investigating the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary of State (SoS) and Natural England over possible failures to comply with environmental law in relation to Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for wild birds, it has announced. The investigation will seek to determine whether Defra SoS and Natural […]
21 Jan 2024
In the first major review of the Environment Improvement Plan, advisors warn that the UK Government is off-track, and risks missing the legally-binding target to halt nature decline by 2030. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has concluded that Government needs to speed up and scale up delivery. It also warns that the plan lacks transparency and […]
05 Dec 2023
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has launched a call for evidence to support a review of the drivers, pressures and data gaps affecting the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) in UK marine waters. Evidence submitted will help inform the OEP’s work to drive positive change on critical issues impacting the marine environment. […]
22 Jan 2023
Government’s progress on delivery of its 25 year plan to improve the environment has ‘fallen far short’ and opportunities to change course must be taken. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) presents here its independent assessment of Government’s progress in improving the natural environment in accordance with its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) for England in […]
03 Nov 2022
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has said it was considering enforcement action against Defra after it failed to meet the deadline to set statutory targets as part of the Environment Act. Utility Week reported that newly appointed secretary of state, Therese Coffey, said the department had struggled to analyse the 180,000 responses to a […]
29 Jun 2022
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has said that it is to carry out an investigation into the roles of Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Defra Secretary of State in the regulation of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in England. The aims of the investigation are to determine whether these authorities have failed to comply […]
