Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will establish a new strategic framework for designating protected sites and species within UK environmental law after the UK leaves the EU.

The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will ensure that the whole body of existing EU environmental law, including the Habitats and Wild Birds Directives, continues to have effect in UK law, providing businesses, communities and stakeholders with maximum certainty as we leave the EU. We will then have the opportunity, over time, to ensure our legislative framework is outcome driven and delivers on our overall commitment of improving the environment within a generation.

The UK has a long history of environmental protection and we will safeguard and improve on this record. We will also continue to uphold all our obligations under international environmental treaties. Producing a 25 Year Environment Plan is key to setting out how we will improve our environment as we leave the EU and take control of our environmental legislation again.