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: | No | No | No | Yes |
These Explanatory Notes relate to the Environment Act 2021 (c. 30) which received Royal Assent on 9 November 2021
| 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? |
| Northern Ireland) | ||||
| 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 | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 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? |
| enforcement) | ||||
| 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 |
| 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? |
| 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 |
| 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 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 | Yes | Yes | No | Single use plastic |
| 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? |
| single use plastic items | 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 |
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