§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Committee on the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE) is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [56724]
§ Mr. MeacherCouncil Regulation EC 1655/2000 establishes the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE). The LIFE Committee is a regulatory Committee provided for under Article 11 of the LIFE Regulation. The mandate of the Committee is to assist the Commission with the establishment of guidelines for the type of projects to be funded, and to approve the lists of projects selected for funding.
The Committee has met twice in the last 12 months. Two representatives are permitted from each member state. The Commission pays for one representative to attend from each member state. Additional representatives from the UK cost around £400 per meeting. The cost of attending this Committee over the last 12 months was approximately £800.
The main issues being considered by the Committee are the guidelines and application process for the Instrument, communication and lists of projects to be funded under both LIFE Environment and LIFE Third Countries.