The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has applauded the recent reversal of the UK Government’s plan to revoke thousands of EU laws by year-end. The Government announced last Wednesday that it would modify the Retained EU Law Bill, eliminating a clause which would have removed all retained EU law that remained unrepealed or replaced by the end of 2023. Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch MP, acnowledged the move after understanding opposition that could derail the bill’s scheduled debate in the House of Lords next week.
CIEH has long been in agreement on the need to scrutinize EU-derived regulations to make sure they match the UK’s requirements. However, the organization has consistently denounced the Government’s plan to deliberately revoke retained EU law that had not been assessed within the year and said such hasty checks could lead to unnecessary modifications and overlapping regulations. CIEH played a decisive part in the Government’s decision by partnering with the House of Lords coalition to develop various amendments to the Bill. The strong opposition in the Lords was critical in the turnabout.
Dr Phil James, CEO at CIEH, stated: “We welcome the Government’s decision to reverse its earlier decision to arbitrarily pull thousands of pieces of retained EU law. The Government’s original position of subjecting around 4,000 EU derivatives regulations to a timer was unrealistic and unachievable. We are pleased that the Government has finally come to its senses on this matter.” He expressed pride in the role played by the membership community in achieving policy change.
Louise Hosking, Executive Director of Environmental Health at CIEH, said the organization welcomed the Government’s action. However, there was still work to be done on safeguarding public high regulatory standards. She observed that although the removal of the arbitrary sunset date was welcome, there needs to be a constructive engagement between the Government and CIEH on reviewing retained EU law, including inputs from members and the wider public. CIEH wants to ensure that regulatory standards that are crucial in safeguarding public health are preserved and even improved wherever possible.