Defra has published its official response to the OEP's progress report on the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) (2023-2024).
That statement can be found here.
In response Dame Glenys Stacey, Chair of the OEP, said:
“We welcome the Government’s response and will take time to consider it as we finalise our next progress report, which will be out in mid-January (2026).
“The Government largely accepts our recommendations, and we note they have fed into the revised EIP, that we await with great interest.
“Government is currently off track to meet its environmental targets and commitments.
“Its actions need to speed up, scale up and catch up to get on track to achieving targets. Getting the revised EIP right is key to that.
“However, the review of the EIP has taken more than a year so far and there is much to do and little time to do it. The window of opportunity is closing fast.
“The revised EIP must show realistic and determined plans that
stack up to actual delivery to make achieving these imperative targets and
commitments a reality.”
