Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

I wonder whether I am the only member of the Committee speaking in the debate who is not on one local national park body or another. I have no such interest to declare although my home is in a national park, in the Lake District. What is it that we expect of the members of the national parks authorities? What contribution do they bring, or ought they to bring, to the work of national parks? It is right that we should be seeking a wider mix of membership. That was supported by the various reviews that have taken place, both in England and in Wales, where wider membership was supported and indeed the consultation process suggested precisely that. However, we have a departure from an important principle in the way in which the Bill is now drafted, in Clause 57. The Bill will give a future Minister or Secretary of State enormous discretion to change the numbers of persons in membership of a national park authority. That means that the Minister or Secretary of State will have enormous powers to change the membership and balance it in one way or another. I would have thought that that is not desirable. I understand that the department will say, ““We need flexibility to deal with future contingencies””. That is fair enough; one does not want to tie the department or the Government in such a way that any slight change in circumstances will require new primary legislation. However, Amendment No. 307A gives the Minister the necessary discretion while at the same time ensuring that there is a proper mix. Why is the mix important? It is important because national parks are not just local bodies serving people in the local area. National parks are, by their very name, national bodies which provide a service and provide facilities for people from all over the country. That is why so many people travel to the national parks for their leisure and recreation. It would be rather limiting to say that we do not need national members but should simply appoint people on a very local basis. I am not saying that the Government have that in mind but my concern is that the very wide discretion that the Government are taking upon themselves in Clause 57 may well work against having the sort of membership mix that is conducive to the effective running of national parks.