Committee publication · Correspondence · 21 May 2026
Letter from Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs relating to her appearance in front of the committee for the hearing on the environmental protection policies of Defra, 1 May
Summary
Secretary of State Emma Reynolds responds to 14 follow-up questions from the Environmental Audit Committee arising from her 10 March 2026 appearance on Defra environmental policies. She commits to supplying Terms of Reference for the Environment Improvement Plan Delivery Board, confirms development of a carbon calculator tool with Scotland, reports that 41 wind farms intersect peatlands (0.5% of peatland), defends the Environment Agency's storm overflow compliance, confirms no cost-benefit analysis for water company nationalisation has been completed, and explains rejection of recommended species protection expansions based on evidence favouring habitat restoration over legal protections.
Key findings
- Will supply cross-government EIP Delivery Board Terms of Reference 'as soon as practicable' while they remain under review.
- Confirms 41 operational wind farms intersect peatlands; approximately 0.5% of peatlands currently used for wind farm developments; recent National Policy Statement updates guide developers to avoid peatland where possible.
- Government in ongoing discussions with Scottish Government to develop carbon calculator tool for England to inform policy decisions on peatland developments.
- Office for Environment's December 2025 final reports concluded alleged failures on storm overflows 'have been addressed'; Environment Agency denied non-compliance; government shares OEP's view that EA made 'meaningful progress'.
- Estimated cost of water sector nationalisation approximately £100bn; rejects nationalisation on grounds that it would not address root causes and poses risks to planned investment; prioritises 'better regulation rather than ownership change'.
- Rejected most JNCC quinquennial review recommendations for expanded species legal protections, citing insufficient evidence that additional Wildlife and Countryside Act protections would address decline drivers; habitat creation and restoration evidence-based as more impactful.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Emma Reynolds, Toby Perkins, Sally Randall, Minister Hardy, Office for Environment Protection, Environment Agency, Natural England, Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Notable line
“We have estimated the cost of nationalising the water sector to be around £100bn.”
Key Quotes
“I can confirm that we will supply you with the cross-government EIP Delivery Board's Terms of Reference as soon as practicable, given …”
“I can confirm we are in ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government about developing a similar carbon calculator tool for use in England …”
“We estimate that 41 operational wind farms intersect with peatlands, with our spatial data analysis indicating that around 0.5% of peatlands are currently being used for wind farm developments.”
“I share the OEP's view that the EA has made meaningful progress in addressing the issues identified during its investigation.”
“Nationalisation would not address the root causes of either pollution or underperformance.”
“A detailed assessment of the QQR7 recommendations found that, for most species, there was insufficient evidence that additional legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 would address the drivers of decline or materially support …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗