§ Lord Gregsonasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish the report on the five-year review of the Royal Parks Agency. [HL2134]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe report was published today and I have placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses. The report is also available on the DCMS website (www.culture.gov.uk).
The report's main conclusion and recommendation is that responsibility for the Royal Parks should remain with central government and that the Royal 205WA Parks Agency (RPA) should continue to manage them although the department should work towards establishing the Royal Parks as a non-departmental public body. The Government welcome the report and will respond in due course.
I am pleased to note the report's recognition of the essential role of the Royal Parks Advisory Board in helping the effective management of the Royal Parks by its advice to Ministers and to the chief executive. I am grateful for their contribution, which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State and I very much value. We welcome the initiative the board has taken over the past year in extending its role by providing independent advice on a wider range of the agency's plans, performance and longer-term strategy.