§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what benefits will accrue to Wales from the proposals to establish an environmental protection agency jointly covering the Principality and England.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe proposed new Environment Agency will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales on its activities in the Principality and will unify the key regulatory pollution control functions affecting air, land and water; provide a strong independent voice influencing the adoption of better environmental standards and practices; and help industry by reducing the number of regulators and ending overlaps between them. There will be an appropriate presence by the agency in Wales, for it to be accessible to the public and to those it will regulate in the Principality.