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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the estimated (a) cost and (b) timescale of the Government’s plan to create a UK equivalent to the European Chemicals Agency’s Reach registration database.

The preparations the Government made for the possibility of a no deal exit mean that we are well placed to be ready with our own independent regulatory regime for 1 January 2021. Our focus is now to build on what we have delivered already, taking the opportunity to develop and refine the systems and processes we are putting in place in preparation for UK REACH coming into force. This includes the Comply with UK REACH IT system for registrations that we have built, which will replicate key functions of the European Chemicals Agency’s REACH registration database to provide continuity for UK business.

The Government is increasing resource in the Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency and Defra to enable delivery of UK REACH. Once we have staffed up to full operating capability, we expect to spend about £13 million per year on the UK’s new REACH regulatory system. This figure covers the costs of operation and maintenance of the REACH IT system and staff resource in the three organisations, for example to ensure technical specialist input into risk and socio-economic assessment of chemicals for the UK.