Research and analysis

Agriculture Bill: RPC opinion

Regulatory Policy Committee opinion on DEFRA's impact assessment of the Agriculture Bill

• From: Regulatory Policy Committee
• Published: 29 October 2020
• Last updated: 29 October 2020 — See all updates

Documents

RPC opinion: Agriculture Bill

PDF, 166 KB, 7 pages

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Details

The Agriculture Bill was introduced to Parliament on 16 January 2020 without an IA. On 20 February 2020 the RPC published a statement noting the lack of an IA for the Bill (and also for the Fisheries Bill) prior to its introduction in Parliament. On 15 September 2020, members of the House of Lords questioned the absence of an IA for the Agriculture Bill. In response the Government committed to publishing a “narrative assessment”.

The RPC has therefore now reviewed the Agriculture Bill IA at an unusually late stage in the Bill’s passage. It has rated the IA as fit for purpose. This opinion is provided on our website in order to inform interested stakeholders, even though it is too late to assist parliamentary scrutiny.

The RPC hopes that in future cases, the Department will ensure that IAs requiring RPC scrutiny are submitted at the earliest possible stage, and in any event sufficiently in advance of being laid before Parliament to allow the IA to support proper parliamentary scrutiny of draft legislation.

Published 29 October 2020
Last updated 29 October 2020 + show all updates

1. 29 October 2020

   Edited body with further background

2. 29 October 2020

   First published.