Environment Act 2021

19 Policy statement on environmental principles: effect

(1) A Minister of the Crown must, when making policy, have due regard to the policy statement on environmental principles currently in effect.

(2) Nothing in subsection (1) requires a Minister to do anything (or refrain from doing anything) if doing it (or refraining from doing it)—

(a) would have no significant environmental benefit, or

(b) would be in any other way disproportionate to the environmental benefit.

(3) Subsection (1) does not apply to policy so far as relating to—

(a) the armed forces, defence or national security,

(b) taxation, spending or the allocation of resources within government, or

(c) Wales.

(4) Subsection (1) applies to policy relating to Scotland only so far as relating to reserved matters.

(5) Section 14(2) of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 (asp 4) (UK Ministers must have regard to guiding principles on the environment in making policies extending to Scotland) does not apply to policies so far as relating to reserved matters.

(6) In this section “reserved matters” has the same meaning as in the Scotland Act 1998.