Environment Act 2021

6 Environmental targets: reporting duties

(1) Regulations under section 1, 2 or 3 must specify a reporting date for any target set under that section.

(2) On or before the reporting date the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament, and publish, a statement containing the required information about the target.

(3) The required information about a target is (as appropriate)—

(a) that the target has been met,

(b) that the target has not been met, or

(c) that the Secretary of State is not yet able to determine whether the target has been met, the reasons for that and the steps the Secretary of State intends to take in order to determine whether the target has been met.

(4) Where the Secretary of State makes a statement that the target has not been met the Secretary of State must, before the end of the 12 month period beginning with the date on which the statement is laid, lay before Parliament, and publish, a report.

(5) The report must—

(a) explain why the target has not been met, and

(b) set out the steps the Secretary of State has taken, or intends to take, to ensure the specified standard is achieved as soon as reasonably practicable.

(6) Where the Secretary of State makes a statement that the Secretary of State is not yet able to determine whether the target has been met the Secretary of State must, before the end of the 6 month period beginning with the date on which the statement is laid, lay before Parliament, and publish, a further statement containing the required information.

(7) Subsections (3) to (6) apply to further statements under subsection (6) as they apply to a statement under subsection (2).