A Bill to make provision for a statutory objective requiring public bodies to contribute to delivery of targets set under the Environment Act 2021 and Climate Change Act 2008; to place a duty on public bodies to meet this objective in the exercise of their functions; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
28 August 2025
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill would require a broad range of public bodies in England and Wales to prioritise an environmental recovery objective and to take steps to meet targets set under the Environment Act 2021 (and, originally, the Climate Change Act 2008). Ministers could add more bodies by regulation, with Parliament’s approval, and the measure would take effect 90 days after passage. In the Lords, MPs have proposed changes such as dropping the reference to the Climate Change Act 2008 and expanding the list of authorities to include the Canal and River Trust, with further debates ongoing in Committee and Report stages.
The bill is currently at Report Stage in the Lords after completing Committee Stage. Several amendments were tabled (notably to drop the 2008 reference and to add the Canal and River Trust) and are under debate, with no final decision recorded in the provided documents.
Generated 21 February 2026
3 Sept 2024
18 Oct 2024
13 Jun 2025
Showing agreed, defeated, and withdrawn amendments.
Committee stage – line by line examination of the bill – took place on 13 June.
What happens next?
Report stage – a further chance to closely scrutinise elements of the bill and make changes – is yet to be scheduled.
The letter explains that Great British Nuclear has been renamed Great British Energy — Nuclear (GBE-N) and that there will be two publicly owned energy companies with a shared mission to develop future energy industries, from small modular reactors to floating offshore wind. It confirms the SMR programme will be driven by GBE-N, with more than a substantial sum allocated across the Spending Review and Rolls-Royce SMR as the preferred bidder, subject to government approvals and contract signature. The government’s long-term aim is to bring forward one of the first SMR fleets in Europe, and the letter clarifies corporate changes while reaffirming the clean energy mission; a copy will be placed in the Lords library.
This is a House of Lords running list of amendments to the Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill, tabled up to 25 June 2025. It notes a new or altered amendment (marked ★) to Clause 3 that would add The Canal and River Trust as a public authority covered by the bill’s environmental targets. If adopted, the Canal and River Trust would be subject to the same environmental targets as other public bodies under the Act.
This Lords marshalling list, dated 11 June 2025, sets out amendments to be moved in Committee for the Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill [HL]. It includes three proposed changes: removing a reference to 2008 in Clause 1, removing paragraph (n) from Clause 2, and adding The Canal and River Trust as a designated public authority under Clause 2. The amendments are proposed by Lords Hamilton of Epsom, Trenchard, and Evans of Rainow, with new or altered amendments marked by a star.
This is the running list of amendments tabled for the Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill [HL] in Committee of the Whole House, published 6 November 2024. It notes amendments already tabulated, including a starred amendment by Lord Hamilton of Epsom to Clause 1 to delete text from '2008' to the end of that line. The document is an official record of proposed changes ahead of further debate.
The Committee’s Second Report scrutinises several Bills for delegated powers and highlights two main concerns: the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill includes a repealing power (sections 30A(4) and 30B) that requires clear purpose and, if used beyond the end of current private franchises, should face affirmative rather than negative resolution; and the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill contains broad skeleton powers that would let regulations replace most of the current regime with little scrutiny or justification. It also notes similar issues with the metrology provisions and recommends removing or tightly constraining these powers. For the Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill there are no powers to report.
The Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill would require a broad list of public bodies to prioritise an environmental recovery objective as a principal aim and to take all reasonable steps to meet it, aligning with targets under the Environment Act 2021 and the Climate Change Act 2008. It allows the Secretary of State to add more bodies by regulation, with any such regulations needing approval from both Houses of Parliament. The Act would apply to England and Wales, come into force 90 days after passage, and be cited as the Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Act 2024.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
