Part 1: Environmental Governance Chapter 2: The Office for Environmental Protection Section 28: Monitoring and reporting on environmental improvement plans and targets
Section 28 describes the monitoring and reporting functions of the OEP in relation to the environmental improvement plans and targets. Under this section, the OEP will monitor and assess environmental statistics and reports on an ongoing basis to ensure that it has an effective knowledge base. This information will then be analysed alongside information published by the government to provide an independent assessment of progress made in improving the natural environment in accordance with the current environmental improvement plan and targets.
	Subsection (1) provides that the OEP must monitor progress:
in improving the natural environment in accordance with the government’s current environmental improvement plan (the first such plan is known as the 25 Year Environment Plan), as set out in section 8;
towards meeting any long-term targets as set under section 1, and the particulate matter target as set under section 2 and the species abundance target set under section 3 and;
towards meeting any interim targets as set out in the environmental improvement plan.
	This monitoring and reporting function will hold the government to account on its environmental improvement commitments.
	Subsection (2) requires the OEP to produce a progress report for each annual reporting period. As set out in subsection (3), the reports will inform on progress made related to improving the natural environment that has occurred within the annual reporting period. This will be measured against the current environmental improvement plan and targets. An annual reporting period is the period for which the Secretary of State must produce a report under section 9, as set out in subsection (4).
	When making a progress report, subsection (5) requires the OEP to take into account the annual report made by the Secretary of State on progress against the implementation of the environmental improvement plan and targets for that period, as set out in section 10. The OEP will also consider the data published under section 16 for that period, as well as any other documents or information that the OEP believes are relevant. In reporting on progress made in an annual reporting period, the OEP will undertake any analysis and interpretation it believes is necessary.
	Subsection (6) specifies that a progress report may advise how the OEP believes progress could be improved – for example, through comparison with other countries, including the devolved administrations. It may also consider the adequacy of data published under section 16, enabling the OEP to independently determine whether the right information is being collected to evaluate progress in improving the natural environment, and whether it is accurate and sufficiently comprehensive.
	Subsections (7) and (8) require that the OEP’s reports must be laid before Parliament and published. This is intended to provide the OEP with sufficient independence from the government when carrying out its reporting functions. The OEP’s report must be laid before Parliament within six months of the relevant report under section 9 being laid. This gives the OEP sufficient time to carry out its scrutiny of the section 9 report whilst tying it to a fixed reporting deadline.
	Subsection (9) requires the Secretary of State to respond to the OEP’s report, publishing their response and laying it before Parliament. Subsection (10) requires that the Secretary of State’s response must specifically address any recommendations made by the OEP as to how progress with the environmental improvement plan and targets could be improved. This requires the Secretary of State to evidence and justify any decisions whereby the OEP’s recommendations will not be taken forward. Subsection (11) specifies that the Secretary of State must lay their response within 12 months of the OEP’s report being laid, and may include this response in the Secretary of State’s subsequent report made under section 9. This allows the Secretary of State to include the response to the OEP’s progress report as part of the following year’s annual report on the environmental improvement plan and targets.