The Welsh government initiated a public consultation on the Environmental Bill due to fill the gaps of environmental principles and governance post-Brexit. This piece of legislation comes as part of a series of environmental legislation of this kind that must be adopted in the UK as a result of Brexit. Westminster has already conducted pre-legislative scrutiny, Scotland is currently holding a public consultation and Northern Ireland will be included in England’s draft Bill.
The Welsh document put out to public consultation highlights that Wales is in a different starting position compared to the rest of the UK, in that it has already built a legislative framework based on environmental principles and bodies. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act ensures that a set of environmental principles guide the development and implementation of policies. Bodies responsible for supporting the delivery of environmental legislation have also been reformed.
Consultation documents
BBC article