The Treasury has rebuffed a request by the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee to appear before its inquiry into the Government’s proposal to establish a new environmental watchdog.
The Chair of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee had written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer requesting that he or another Minister gives evidence for the Committee's inquiry into the Government's proposal for a new environmental watchdog.
According to the EAC, reports in the media had suggested that the Treasury is opposed to giving the new watchdog similar enforcement mechanisms as the European Commission, leading some environmental campaigners to express concern that the watchdog will be "toothless".
Writing to Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond on 21st May, Mary Creagh MP Committee Chair said:
“It has been widely reported that the Treasury opposed giving the environmental watchdog powers like the European Commission’s to initiate enforcement action against Government. The evidence given to my Committee’s joint hearing on Air Quality by the then-Exchequer Secretary for the Treasury indicated this was the case.
The Committee had called on the Treasury to send a Minister to outline the department's stance on environmental enforcement powers and to explain how the watchdog will ensure that the environmental protection standards previously enforced by the European Commission are met.
Replying to Mary Creagh on behalf of Chancellor Phillip Hammond, Robert Jenrick, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said that the Government is committed to setting up a new independent statutory body to hold government to account on the environment.
However, he pointed out that Defra is the lead department for this issue and the consultation, adding “it will therefore be a matter for Defra ministers to respond to the Committee’s inquiry."
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