Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

The noble Baroness, Lady Byford, has raised a number of interesting issues for debate. Things have moved on since I first became aware of some of these issues. We now have a Commissioner for Public Appointments, which we did not have in the early 1990s. These are substantial issues. Although that commissioner has radically improved things, the Secretary of State is the person who finally approves appointments. Civil servants in the department that is being scrutinised may not feel that they want board members who are extremely critical and who are going to really scrutinise the work of either the civil servants or the officers of an organisation such as Natural England. Those civil servants are fundamental to drawing up the list that goes in front of Ministers. Natural England may also have comments on Defra’s performance. We will come on to the CRC. There are many questions about how those appointments will happen. I do not entirely agree that the chairman alone should be responsible for appointing the other board members. That would concentrate power in too few hands; I would like to see it kept within the commission’s remit. The ability of board members to remain independent is somewhat compromised when it is civil servants who are ticking the list of the quango-friendly faces and putting a big red line through those who are known to be quite difficult quango members.