Greg Clark has been pressed to clarify whether the government will continue to apply a rule that, if left untouched, could result in a post-Brexit roll back of regulations, including many covering the environment.
May Creagh, chair of the House of Commons environmental audit committee, has written to the business secretary over the current status of the ‘one in, three out’ deregulation rule.
Under the rule, the government committed to remove three pieces of regulation for every new one brought in during the lifespan of the 2015 parliament. This replaced an earlier ‘one in, two out’ rule, which was in place under the coalition government.
Exemptions to the rule were allowed for EU law and international obligations, which were transposed into UK law.
The committee’s concerns were prompted by a memorandum on applying new international regulations designed to curb ozone-depleting gases.
It stated that regulations, which are designed to meet the 2036 target to reduce such gases by 85 per cent, could be subject to the ‘one in, three out’ rule.
Lord Henley, the BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) minister responsible for deregulation, wrote to the committee to say that the department has not yet decided whether to retain the rule during the current parliament.
Creagh has questioned Clark on whether the rule could also apply to the mass of regulations, which are due to be transposed into UK law under the EU Withdrawal Bill.
The committee has raised concerns that maintaining this principle could deter the government from adopting future environmental regulations, which would have previously been exempt from the rule because they stem from EU law.
Creagh said: “EU environmental regulations have been central to protecting our treasured natural spaces and iconic British species.
“As we leave the EU, we are concerned that the ‘one in, three out’ principle could have a chilling effect on future environmental laws and regulations. It is vital that the UK’s environmental protections are in no way weakened outside of the European Union.”