Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many appointments have been made to Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreation Advisory Committees since 1997; and how many have a(a) canoeing background and (b) fishing background. [71587]
§ Alun MichaelRegional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreation Advisory Committees were established under the Environment Act of 1995 to replace the previous Regional Fisheries Advisory Committees. Their principal remit is to deal with issues of relevance to fishing. Representation of fishing interests therefore form the majority of their members. There is no statutory requirement to have recreation and navigation interests represented on these committees but the Environment Agency with the approval of Ministers, has agreed that these interests should be represented. The committees comprise no more that 21 members and each has at least two members representing recreation interests.