§ Mr. BurgonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Framework Document of his Department and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution will be published. [152059]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution is a non-departmental public body which gives advice on dangers to the environment and priorities for environmental policies.
A key recommendation of the recent five-year Financial Management and Policy Review (FMPR) of the Royal Commission, which Ministers endorsed, was the preparation of a Framework Document to bring greater clarity to the Commission's relationship with 690W the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and to reinforce the Commission's drive towards improved effectiveness.
I am pleased to announce today the publication of a 'Framework Document' which sets out the respective roles and responsibilities of DETR, as sponsor Department, and the Commission, including provisions for more effective forward planning and performance review. It is available on my Department's website www.detr.gov.uk and copies are being placed in the Library of the House.