The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 5th June 2023:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what are their current plans for exercising powers to be granted to them under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Repeal) Bill in relation to the Habitats Directive.
Lord Benyon (Con): Defra has been clear in its commitments to uphold and not weaken environmental protections. That is why our approach has always been to keep REUL, unless there is a good reason to either remove it from the statute book or reform it. That approach is now also reflected in the legislation, as the recently tabled Government amendment will mean that REUL is retained unless it is specifically cited in the revocation schedule. The Habitats Regulations are not on the schedule and therefore will not be revoked by the Bill. Defra is carefully considering the use of REUL Bill powers in the context of the Habitats Regulations.
We remain committed to our ambitious plans of the Net Zero Strategy and the Environment Improvement Plan 2023. We are clear that any REUL reform must be consistent with international obligations, including the various Multilateral Environment Agreements we are signatory to, such as the Bern Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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