Defra publishes draft environmental principles policy statement

Defra has laid in Parliament a draft policy statement setting out how policymakers should apply environmental principles to support environmental protection and enhancement.

Under the Environment Act, ministers have a duty to have due regard to the policy statement and embed the environmental principles into policymaking. The principles are:

• the integration principle – this proposes that policymakers should look for opportunities to embed environmental protection in fields of policy that have environmental effects;

• the prevention principle – this means that government policy should aim to prevent environmental harm.

• The rectification at source principle – this states that environmental damage should, as a priority, be addressed at its origin to avoid the need to remedy its effects later, on grounds of cost-effectiveness, efficiency and equity in the long term;

• the polluter pays principle – this means that, where possible, the costs of pollution should be borne by those causing it, rather than the person who suffers the effects of the resulting environmental damage, or the wider community; and

• the precautionary principle – this assists the decision-making process in the face of a lack of scientific certainty. The principle helps policymakers deal with risks which may not be precisely calculable in advance.

Parliament may make recommendations in respect of the draft statement. The secretary of state will then produce a response to any recommendations and lay this before Parliament alongside a final version of the policy statement.

Defra initially consulted on the principles in March-June 2021, and last week also published a summary of responses and the Government response.