Post-Brexit chemical legislation passed amid heavy criticism

The UK agency set to take charge of chemical regulation after Brexit will not have the resources to properly cope, peers have warned.

Following a two-hour debate on 26 March, the House of Lords European Union Energy and Environment Sub-Committee narrowly backed a motion to approve a statutory instrument to replicate EU legislation known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). The legislation was passed in the House of Commons on 27 February.

However, several peers expressed concern that the Health and Safety Executive—the government agency responsible for workplace health and safety that will be in charge of post-Brexit chemical regulation—will have too much power. This is because the HSE will not have enough funding to take on all of its new responsibilities, peers warned.