 | |
| Non-departmental public body overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 17 November 2021 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland Executive |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | Worcester, England |
| Employees | 74 (2023) |
| Annual budget | £12.1million (2022-23) |
| Non-departmental public body executives |
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| Parent department | DEFRA, DAERA |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes | |
| [1] | |
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is a public oversight body for environmental protection in England and Northern Ireland [1] "to provide independent oversight of the government's environmental progress". It was created as a statutory body by the Environment Act 2021.
The OEP was launched as an interim body in July 2021. [2] [3] The first chair is Glenys Stacey, who has called delays in the passage of the bill "extremely disappointing". [4] [5] Its first chief executive is Natalie Prosser and its headquarters are in Worcester. Concerns have been raised about potential lack of powers, independence, funding and about freedom of information. [6] [3] The OEP is intended to replace the environmental protection functions of the EU, but a report by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law expressed concerns that the bill as of June 2021 would provide no equivalent legal remedy for breaches. [7] The OEP was formally legally constituted on 17 November 2021, [1] and was given an environmental governance role in England in January 2022, [1] and in Northern Ireland in February 2022. [8]
