Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution - Defra sponsorship
Government responses to RCEP reports
This section contains the responses to the reports the RCEP has produced since 1998. The longer reports listed below are called command papers and the Government has to publish a response to the Commissioners findings. Normally a single department will take the lead and collate a response after consulting other Government departments. In most cases this will be Defra, but the response to the planning review, for example, was led by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister's, because it covered their policy area. There have been 26 command reports since 1970.
Since 1999, the Commission has also produced 3 shorter special reports. These are not command papers but departments will normally produce a response to these too.
Reports and Responses since 1998
Full versions of RCEP reports can be viewed on the RCEP website.
7 May 2008 - The Royal Commission’s report “The Urban Environment” looks at how the environment affects people living in towns and cities, and conversely the impact that urban areas can have on wider environmental goals.
The Government response to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s twenty-sixth report “The Urban Environment” (pdf, 730 KB)
20 July 2006 - The Royal Commission's produced a special report to examine the evidence on which the current pesticide approvals system is based and the reasons for people's concerns. This followed a request from Alun Michael, when Minister for Rural Affairs and Local Environment Quality.
UK Government response to Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's special report Crop spraying and the health of residents and bystanders (pdf, 149 KB)
24 May 2006 - The RCEP study focuses on the impacts of fishing in the region covered by the OSPAR treaty – the Convention for the Protection of the Marine environment of the North East Atlantic. Paying particular attention to the fisheries regulated by the EC Common Fisheries Policy and to the waters around the UK.
UK Government response to Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s Twenty-fifth report "Turning the tide: addressing the impact of fisheries on the marine environment".
October 2004 - In this report the RCEP concentrate on biomass as a fuel for heat or combined heat and power (CHP) Biomass offers potential as a source of heat as well as electricity, offering high conversion efficiencies. This appears to have been overlooked in government policies which have concentrated on electricity generation.
Government response to the RCEP special report on biomass as a renewable energy source (pdf, 78 KB)
August 2004 - The 24th report sets out new approaches to the assessment and management of chemicals, and argues for better information about chemicals on the market, more intelligent testing, better use of monitoring, and early and effective action at a European level and on substitution.
The Government's
response to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's 24th report
on chemicals in products. (pdf, 150 KB)
July 2003 - In the 23rd report the Royal Commission launched an investigation into whether present arrangements for environmental planning are capable of achieving environmental policy objectives. This involved looking at the current land use planning system, at other relevant legislation and procedures, and the interactions between them.
The
Government's response to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's
23rd report "Environmental Planning England" (on DCLG website)
February 2003 - The 22nd report advocates a transformation in the use of energy in the UK to counter climate change. The Royal Commission recommends that the UK should plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by some 60% from current levels by about 2050. The Report explores what this will mean society and highlights how Government policies need to change.
The Government's response to the
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's 22nd report, "Energy
- The Changing Climate" (pdf, 680 KB)
29 November 2002 - The Royal Commission published a limited study into the environmental effects of air transport, . in advance of the government's White Paper on Air Transport., focusing on civil aircraft in flight.
November 2000 - The 21st report argued that there must be a more robust basis for setting environmental standards. It concluded that scientific assessments, and analyses of technology, economics, risk and implementation issues, must inform policy decisions but cannot pre-empt them.
The Government's response to the Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution's 21st Report
December 1998 - The 20th Report, presented is essentially a review of developments in transport since the 18th Report, "Transport and the Environment", was published. It was prompted by concerns that the full extent of the challenge presented by the future of transport was becoming 'even more starkly evident' and that action had been too little and too slow to provide the prospect of a substantial shift in transport trends.
The Government's response to the Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution's 20th Report
Page last modified: 7 May 2008