Environmental Regulation team moves from BIS to Defra
The Environmental Regulation team will transfer from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 1 April 2016.
The Business Secretary Sajid Javid and the Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss have agreed that the Environmental Regulation team will transfer from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on 1 April 2016 under a Machinery of Government change. The team will transfer into the Defra Environmental Quality Directorate. A written ministerial statement was published today (24 March 2016), detailing the change.
The Environmental Regulation team has policy responsibility for a range of waste and product-related EU-derived regulations that have either Single Market or producer responsibility objectives. Their responsibilities include:
- upholding the UK’s domestic Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) system including running the distributor takeback scheme
- regulating producers (vehicle manufacturers and importers) and Authorised Treatment Facilities for the UK’s end of life vehicles (ELV) system
- policy development and monitoring for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS)
- policy development for the substance restrictions (Essential Requirements) related to packaging
- the placing on the market for all batteries and accumulators and the waste disposal regime for automotive and industrial batteries
The team also has policy responsibility for the enforcement of these regulations through contracts held with the Environment Agency, the National Measurement and Regulation Office (NMRO) and trading standards departments in local authorities.
With much of the legislation and related work split between the 2 departments, transferring the team and resource from BIS to Defra will enable, and ensure, greater coordination of government policy and the combined regulatory responsibilities.
Notes to editors
The list of relevant legislation that will be transferred from BIS to Defra Ministers as a consequence of this Machinery of Government change is:
The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008 No. 2164)
The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market)(Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012 No. 1139)
The Batteries and Accumulators (Placing on the Market)(Amendment) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No. 63)
The End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 No. 2635)
The End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005 No. 263)
The End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility)(Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010 No. 1095)
The End-of-Life Vehicles (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010 No. 1094)
The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No. 1640)
The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012 (SI 2012 No. 3032)
The Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009 (SI 2009 No. 890) The Waste Batteries and Accumulators (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No. 1935)
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (SI 2013 No. 3113)
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014 No. 1771)
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No. 1968)