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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) start up and (b) running costs of the proposed independent environmental watchdog to be established after the UK leaves the EU.

On 10 May, the Government launched a consultation on proposals to establish an independent environmental body through the Environmental Principles and Governance Bill. Our intention is that this new body would hold the Government to account on our environmental standards when we have left the EU. The public consultation runs for 12 weeks until 2 August.

The costs of establishing and running the new body are dependent on its functions, which are the subject of the ongoing consultation.