MPs restate post-Brexit chemicals strategy concerns after Covid-19 delay

The new chair of a UK parliamentary committee has expressed his concerns over the government's post-Brexit chemicals strategy, after its development was suspended due to the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. In a letter to minister of state George Eustice, Environmental Audit Committee chair Philip Dunne said that given the delays already incurred, the decision to pause work on it in order to prioritise the government's response to the pandemic was "regrettable". The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has not said whether the strategy, currently due in 2022, would be delayed.
Mr Dunne's letter, dated 30 April, raises a number of questions over Defra's approach to chemicals regulation after Brexit, reiterating persistent anxiety among stakeholders about the UK's future relationship with Echa and access to chemicals data. It requests clarity on how the government is using the Brexit transition period to prepare businesses for a new regulatory framework, and guidance on whether a two-year window for UK registrants to submit full data packages would be extended.