Environment Act 2021

Annex A – Territorial extent and application

1893. Section 146 sets out the territorial extent of the sections in the Act. The extent of an Act is the legal jurisdiction where it forms part of the law. The extent of an Act can be different from its application. Application refers to where it has practical effect.
1894. Most of the Act forms part of the law of England and Wales and applies to England. Around half of the Act’s provisions extend and apply to Wales, with a significant number of provisions having Great Britain, UK or England, Wales and Northern Ireland extent. Sections 48, 59, 61, 65, 67, 71, 91 and Schedule 2 form part of the law of Northern Ireland and apply to Northern Ireland only. Sections 90 and 95 apply to Wales only.

      Provision	Extends to England & Wales and applies to England?	Extends to England & Wales and applies to Wales?	Extends and applies to Scotland?	Extends and applies to Northern Ireland?
      Sections 1-7 (environmental targets)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 8-15 (environmental improvement plans)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 16 (environmental monitoring)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 17- 19 (Policy statement on environmental principles)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 20 (statements about Bills containing new environmental law)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 21 (reports on international environmental protection legislation)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 22-27 (the Office for Environmental Protection)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 28 (monitoring and reporting on environmental improvement plans and targets)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 29-30 (the OEP’s scrutiny and advice functions)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Sections 31-41 (the OEP’s enforcement functions)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Sections 42-43 (information)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Sections 44-47 (interpretation of Part 1)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 48 (improving the natural environment: Northern Ireland)	No	No	No	Yes
      Section 49 (the Office for Environmental Protection: Northern Ireland)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 50 (producer responsibility obligations)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 51 (producer responsibility for disposal costs)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Sections 52-53 (resource efficiency information and requirements)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 54 (deposit schemes)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
      Section 55 (charges for single use items)	Yes	Yes	No	Single use plastic items only.
      Section 56 (charges for carrier bags)	Yes	No	No	Yes
      Section 57 (separation of waste)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 58 (electronic waste tracking: Great Britain)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
      Section 59 (electronic waste tracking: Northern Ireland)	No	No	No	Yes
      Section 60 (hazardous waste: England and Wales)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 61 (hazardous waste: Northern Ireland)	No	No	No	Yes
      Section 62 (transfrontier shipments of waste)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 63 (regulations under the Environmental Protection Act 1990)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 64 (powers to make charging schemes)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
      Section 65 (waste charging: Northern Ireland)	No	No	No	Yes
      Section 66 (enforcement powers)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 67 (enforcement powers: Northern Ireland)	No	No	No	Yes
      Section 68 (littering enforcement)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 69 (fixed penalty notices)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 70 (regulation of polluting activities)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 71 (waste regulation: amendment of Northern Ireland Order)	No	No	No	Yes
      Section 72 (local air quality management framework)	Yes	In part	In part	No
      Section 73 (smoke control areas: amendments of the Clean Air Act 1993)	Yes	In part	No	No
      Sections 74-77 (environmental recall of motor vehicles etc)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 78 (water resources management plans, drought plans and joint proposals)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 79 (drainage and sewerage management plans)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 80 (Storm overflows)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 81 (Reporting on discharges from storm overflows)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 82 (Monitoring quality of water potentially affected by discharges)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 83 (Reduction of adverse impact of storm overflows)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 84 (Report on elimination of discharges from storm overflows)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 85 (authority’s power to require information)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 86 (water and sewerage undertakers in England: modifying appointments)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 87 (electronic service of documents)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 88 (water abstraction: no compensation for certain licence conditions)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 89 (water quality: powers of Secretary of State)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 90 (water quality: powers of Welsh Ministers)	No	Yes	No	No
      Section 91 (water quality: powers of Northern Ireland department)	No	No	No	Yes
      Section 92 (Solway Tweed river basin district: power to transfer functions)	Yes	No	Yes	No
      Section 93 (water quality: interpretation)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 94 (valuation of other land in drainage district: England)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 95 (valuation of other land in drainage district: Wales)	No	Yes	No	No
      Section 96 (valuation of agricultural land in drainage district: England and Wales)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Section 97 (disclosure of Revenue and Customs information)	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Sections 98-101 (biodiversity gain in planning)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 102-103 (biodiversity objective and reporting)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 104-108 (local nature recovery strategies)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 109-111 (conservation)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 112-113 (habitats regulations)	Yes	No	No	No
      Sections 114-115 (tree felling and planting)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 116 (use of forest risk commodities in commercial activity)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Sections 117-139 (conservation covenants)	Yes	No	No	No
      Section 140 (amendment of REACH legislation)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 141 (Amendments of Schedule 7B to the government of Wales Act 2006)	No	Yes	No	No
      Section 142 (consequential provision)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 143 (regulations)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 144 (Crown application)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 145 (financial provisions)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 146 (extent)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 147 (commencement)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 148 (transitional or saving provision)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Section 149 (short title)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 1 - The Office for Environmental Protection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 2 - Improving the natural environment: Northern Ireland	No	No	No	Yes
      Schedule 3 - The Office for Environmental Protection: Northern Ireland	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 4 - Producer responsibility obligations	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 5 - Producer responsibility for disposal costs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 6 - Resource efficiency information	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 7 - Resource efficiency requirements	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 8 - Deposit schemes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
      Schedule 9 - Charges for single use plastic items	Yes	Yes	No	Single use plastic items only
      Schedule 10 - Enforcement powers	Yes	Yes	No	No
      Schedule 11 - Local air quality management framework	Yes	In part	In part	No
      Schedule 12 - Smoke control in England and Wales	Yes	In part	No	No
      Schedule 13 - Modifying water and sewerage undertakers’ appointments: procedure for appeals	Yes	No	No	No
      Schedule 14 - Biodiversity gain as condition of planning permission	Yes	No	No	No
      Schedule 15 - Biodiversity gain in nationally significant infrastructure projects	Yes	No	No	No
      Schedule 16 - Controlling the felling of trees in England	Yes	No	No	No
      Schedule 17 – Use of forest risk commodities in commercial activity	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
      Schedule 18 - Discharge or modification of obligations under conservation covenants	Yes	No	No	No
      Schedule 19 - Application of Part 7 to Crown land	Yes	No	No	No
      Schedule 20 - Consequential amendments relating to Part 7	Yes	No	No	No
      Schedule 21 - Amendment of REACH legislation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes