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David Levy – The Environment Bill : current state of play – Sep 21

Trying desperately not to leave you hanging in the lurch, I have decided to bring you up to date with where we are on the Environment Bill.

The highlights are:

° The Duke of Wellington secured, by a vote of 184 to 147, one amendment making it a ‘duty’ (legal obligation) on the water companies and all future governments to act on improving storm overflow discharges of untreated sewage to rivers and the sea.

° The Duke withdrew his other amendment to separate surface water drainage from the foul sewer because the Government promised Parliament to review earlier legislation which has not been implemented, and which could do much of the same job as his amendment.   Not action, but maybe his Grace felt that he had gone as far as he could.

Watching the facial responses in the House of Lords, I have to say that Lord Goldsmith (the Minister) was unmoved when the result of the vote was declared — not in his favour.

So now on to the next stage.   This means the Bill is back in the Other Place, the House of Commons, where the Government has to decide either to accept the Lords revision of the Environment Bill with all their amendments and go for an immediate final stage vote on this.   Or alternatively, the Government can reject some of the Lords Amendments and send it back.

The former choice would deliver an Environment Act ready to present for COP26, and our amendment would be set in law.

The alternative choice is more problematic.   If pushed all the way, the Government would be able to reject and possibly defeat our amendment in the to-ing and fro-ing between the two Houses of Parliament.

The decision is now a political choice.   But judging from the number of times the Government has come up with multiple amendments of its own, without ever agreeing to a ‘duty’ on the government and water companies to act on eliminating storm overflows of raw sewage, I am sceptical about our chances.   However stranger things have happened.

Meanwhile Stephen and I are looking at the likelihood of needing to campaign in the House of Commons, a hard task.

David Levy