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

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their Environmental Principles Policy Statement; what is their timetable for it coming into effect; and what interim arrangements they have made for the intervening period.

We will publish the environmental principles draft policy statement as soon as possible, following the consultation we carried out last year.

The policy statement will then undergo parliamentary scrutiny and a final version will be published. There will be an implementation period to allow Government departments to prepare for the new duty. Defra has already been working with departments by providing training and ensuring the new duty is clearly captured by existing Government policy guidance documents, such as HM Treasury’s Green Book.