§ Baroness Hamweeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they will take to ensure that the new environmental agencies have public accountability through nominees from locally based organisations and interest groups.
§ Baroness Denton of WakefieldThe proposed Environment Agency for England and Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will be Non-Departmental Public Bodies accountable to Parliament through Ministers. Three sets of regional committees are proposed for the Environment Agency to provide local input: Regional Environment Protection Advisory Committees, Regional Fisheries Advisory Committees and Regional Flood Defence Committees. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency will also have a set of regional committees. Provision for these committees will be included in the legislation to establish both agencies which will be presented to Parliament in due course.