Skip to main content

Environmental Information Regulations Provisions

Volume 470: debated on Tuesday 8 January 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department produced on whether environmental information regulations provisions apply to regional chambers. (176579)

Regional chambers are not specifically mentioned in our current detailed guidance on the environmental information regulations (EIRs) (www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/opengov/eir/guidance/full-guidance/pdf/guidance-2.pdf) but this does make clear that all bodies which carry out functions of public administration and bodies that are under the control of a public authority and have responsibilities, exercise functions or provide public services relating to the environment are covered by the regulations. The guidance also explains that bodies can seek more detailed advice on the interpretation of the regulations from the DEFRA telephone helpline and a central e-mail address, though the final determination of the extent to which they are covered would be for the Information Commissioner and the Information Tribunal to decide.