§ Dr. WrightTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department(a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [21279]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordA list of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department can be found in the Cabinet Office Publication "Public Bodies 1995". A copy is available in the House of Commons Library. Of these the following bodies carry out activities falling within the specified categories:
- a. hold open meetings,
- Local Government Commission Local Government Staff Commission
- b. conduct public consultation exercises, Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment
- Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council Local Government Commission Local Government Staff Commission
- c. conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests,
- Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment Advisory Panel for Construction Research
- Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council
- Local Government Commission
- d. publish a register of members' interests (in annual reports),Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances
214 - Advisory Committee on Releases of Genetically Modified Organisms to the Environment
- Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate
- Local Government Commission.
The Local Government Commission is required by statute to carry out consultation exercises. None of the other activities is a statutory requirement.
The royal commission on eNvironmental pollution is an independent body appointed by the Queen by royal warrant. Its policy is to consult widely on subjects it is studying and to ensure that all the advice it gives is in the public domain.