Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to bring the UK into compliance with the Aarhus Convention, and when they plan for that compliance to be achieved.

The United Kingdom Government is committed to the effective implementation of all of its international obligations including those under the Aarhus Convention.

The Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services wrote to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee on 29 May 2025, setting out the approach we plan to take over the coming years to bring England and Wales into compliance with the access to justice provisions in article 9 of the Aarhus Convention. The Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland also shared a letter with the Committee on 30 May 2025, setting out her plans for Northern Ireland to reach compliance with these provisions. Both letters can be found on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s website.

Our approach to England and Wales was informed by the Call for Evidence we conducted between 30 September 2024 and 9 December 2024. Our full response to that Call for Evidence will be published in due course.