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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to monitor companies responsibilities and duties to the environment.

The Government makes full use of the comprehensive and wide ranging environmental regulatory framework in England.

There are many regulators involved in delivering Government environmental objectives, and the Environment Agency (EA) is the largest environmental regulator for England.

The EA regulates a wide range of industries and activities, in diverse fields such as nuclear power, waste and resources, the water industry, climate change, flood protection. Its regulation brings about significant improvements in protection of the environment, adapts to emerging challenges and supports sustainable growth.

The Government also supports voluntary environmental due diligence approaches adopted by UK businesses across their operations and supply chain relationships, in line with the OECD’s Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct. DBT also oversees the UK’s National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct, an independent unit tasked with promoting the OECD Guidelines and managing a non-judicial grievance mechanism to resolve complaints through mediation.