New Clause 5 - State of nature target

Environment Bill – in the House of Commons at 5:53 pm on 26 January 2021.

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Votes in this debate

  • Division number 214
    A majority of MPs voted not to have a target to halt and begin to reverse the decline in the state of nature in England as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 2030.

‘(1) It is the duty of the Secretary of State to set a target to halt and begin to reverse the decline in the state of nature in England as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 2030.

(2) The target in subsection (1) shall be known as the state of nature target.

(3) The Secretary of State must ensure that the state of nature target is met.

(4) A draft statutory instrument containing regulations that make provision for how progress toward the state of nature target will be measured must be laid before Parliament at least one month before the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

(5) Before laying before Parliament a draft of a statutory instrument under this section, the Secretary of State must obtain, publish and take into account the advice of relevant experts, including—

(a) The Environment Agency;

(b) Natural England;

(c) The Office for Environment Protection; and

(d) The Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

(6) In this section—

(a) the abundance and distribution of species;

(b) the risk of extinction; and

(c) the extent and condition of priority habitats.’— (Hilary Benn.)

This new clause would place a duty on the Secretary of State to set and meet a target to begin to reverse the loss of biodiversity in England no later than 2030. This timetable would align with the new Convention on Biological Diversity goals that are due to be agreed in 2021.

Brought up.

Question put, That the clause be added to the Bill.

Division number 214 Environment Bill — New Clause 5 — State of Nature Target

A majority of MPs voted not to have a target to halt and begin to reverse the decline in the state of nature in England as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 2030.

Aye: 217 MPs

No: 360 MPs

Aye: A-Z by last name

Tellers

No: A-Z by last name

Tellers

Absent: 69 MPs

Absent: A-Z by last name

The House divided: Ayes 217, Noes 360.

Question accordingly negatived.

The list of Members currently certified as eligible for a proxy vote, and of the Members nominated as their proxy, is published at the end of today’s debates.