§ Mr. Anthony CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are being taken to appoint the chief executive of the proposed Environment Agency. [20810]
§ Mr. AtkinsNow that the Environment Bill has received a Second Reading in the Commons, thereby indicating parliamentary support for the principle of the Bill, I have informed the environment agency advisory committee that it may start the recruitment of the chief executive of the proposed Environment Agency. The successful candidate will not be formally appointed chief executive until the Bill has received Royal Assent.
Parliamentary approval to this expenditure will be sought in a summer supplementary estimate for the Department of the Environment's environmental protection and water vote—class VII, vote 3. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £55,000 will be met by repayable advances for the Contingencies Fund.
This expenditure is required to meet the cost of recruiting the chief executive. Its urgency arises from the need to have the chief executive in place as soon as possible after Royal Assent to ensure that public funds are properly protected and to enable rapid progress with the establishment of the agency.
§ Mr. MansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to issue a draft of the guidance to be provided to the Environment Agency on its objectives, including the contribution it is to make towards the achievement of sustainable development. [21032]
§ Mr. GummerTogether with my right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales, I am today issuing this draft guidance to inform debate on the Environment Bill. It expands on the draft outline scoping guidance issued by my right hon. Friend Lord Ullswater on 17 January 1995.