Written question asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour) on Monday, 15 December 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 31 December 2025. It was answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 December 2025 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Environment Protection

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what training and guidance is provided to civil servants on how to fulfil the requirements of section 19 of the Environment Act 2021 when drafting proposals for secondary legislation.

Answer: Defra has been working closely with departments across Government to support them in the duty contained in section 19 of the Environment Act 2021 to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement when making policy (which may include secondary legislation). Our ‘toolkit’ of resources was disseminated widely across government ahead of the duty coming into force. The toolkit includes advice notes and examples about the environmental principles to help understand the duty, and information about where to go for further help. We have also revised relevant cross-government guidance, including the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation. The Environmental Principles Policy Statement training course on Civil Service Learning is available to all civil servants and provides an overview of the duty, the environmental principles and how to apply them. Some departments and arm’s length bodies have developed additional internal guidance and training. Defra recently published its “Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS) Implementation - Early-Stage Review” (see attached) where the content of the toolkit and learning materials are discussed in more detail.

Secondary information