§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the President of the Council how many bills published since the Queen's Speech were accompanied by a statement of their implications for the environment; and what proportion this represents of the total number of Bills published in the current session. [114703]
§ Mrs. BeckettThere is no formal requirement on Departments to either produce or publish full environmental appraisals. However, environmental appraisals have been published alongside two Government Bills this session, representing 5.5 per cent. of the number of Government Bills published in the current Session, including the Financial Services and Markets Bill which was published last Session but carried over to complete its passage in this.
The assessment of the environmental impacts of draft legislation should be integral to the broader appraisal of policy that takes place but may not be set out in a separate statement.
Environmental appraisals are part of the overall policy appraisal process and are therefore carried out alongside, for example, regulatory impact appraisals and health impact assessments where necessary.