Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Lucas Excerpts

Thursday 7th September 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Baker]

I am extremely grateful to my right hon. Friend; of course I agree with him. I am invigorated and excited to find that Parliament is reawakening to the need for full and proper scrutiny of secondary legislation.

[Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion) (Green)]

Does the Minister recognise the risk of an impending governance gap with regard to environmental legislation? At present, the Commission and the European Court of Justice perform the vital role of both monitoring and enforcing laws. Domestic mechanisms like judicial review simply do not go far enough. What new institutional mechanisms is he going to look at to make sure that he leaves the environment in a better state than he found it?

[Mr Baker]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for reminding the House that we are committed to leaving the environment in a better state than we found it.

[Caroline Lucas]

How will you do it?

[Mr Baker]

She asks how we will do it. The Bill makes provision for Ministers to bring forward statutory instruments that will correct deficiencies that would otherwise arise as we bring EU law into UK law. I very much look forward to the debate on the particular instruments.