PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
ACCESS TO JUSTICE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS (1 March 2017)

That this House takes notes of the UNECE Aarhus Convention, to which the UK is signatory, and notes the importance of access to justice in environmental matters; further notes the Second Progress Report of January 2017 by the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee which finds that the UK is still not in compliance with its obligations under that Convention with regard to the prohibitively high cost of legal action; expresses concern at the Government's decision to remove the fixed-cost caps for legal challenges on environmental issues which will deter the vast majority of individuals, community groups and civil society organisations from bringing environmental cases for fear of a considerable financial charge; believes that the UK is entering a period of great uncertainty with regards to our environmental protections, and that the Government should be seeking to replace and strengthen the access to justice mechanisms previously provided by the institutions of the EU; supports the legal challenge to the removal of the fixed-cost caps by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth; and calls on the Government to respect its obligations under the Aarhus Convention and abandon plans to abolish fixed-cost caps on environmental issues.

Sponsored by:
Caroline Lucas (Green Party)