Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

moved Amendment No. 55:"Page 2, line 27, at end insert—" ““(   )   In exercising its functions under subsection (3), Natural England must have due regard to the purposes of the National Environment Research Council.”” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, the amendment takes us back to research into biodiversity—and other issues—which I raised in Committee. When we debated it, the Minister said that the National Environment Research Council’s decisions on the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology were out for consultation until the middle of February and that,"““therefore no decisions have been made””.—[Official Report, 8/2/06; col. 764.]" Now that they have been made—and I am sure that noble Lords will have received the very helpful letter of 13 March from Professor Alan Thorpe, chief executive of the Natural Environment Research Council—can the Minister say whether the Government are satisfied with the outcome? I do not think he will be surprised to learn that I still have severe reservations. Although there have been slightly fewer cuts and a very slight increase in funding, meaning that slightly less of the programme will be cut, I stand by many of the arguments I advanced in Committee. Such research is particularly critical at this time. As we face enormous pressures due to climate change and our understanding of the inter-relationship of these things leads us to conclude that more research is needed more urgently than ever, it is particularly unfortunate that such a cut has been proposed. Other facts have come to light since we debated this in Committee; I have, naturally, carried out further research. It seems that the Select Committee on Science and Technology’s fifth report stated that, following the settlement for science announced in the 2002 spending review, NERC’s income from the science budget will increase from £219 million in 2002-03 to £350 million in 2005-06. The rationale behind this increase was to allow NERC to take the lead in science, the earth’s life support systems, climate change, and so on. Last year funding reached £314 million, but that is still well short of £350 million. Having committed to that budget in 2003, have the Government now decided to make cuts in it. If so, such a position is particularly unfortunate. A breakdown of the funding for the Natural Environment Research Council shows that £8.1 million comes from the UK private sector. I wonder how the UK private sector feels about the proposed cuts and what percentage of the programme that is being cut is indeed funded by the private sector? Finally—and I was not as aware of this when we debated it in Committee—there is the responsibility line for the Natural Environment Research Council, which was set up under the Science and Technology Act 1965, I believe by Royal Charter. I only recently became aware of the difference between that sort of set up and the normal sort of quango we debate in your noble Lordships’ House. Under the set up of the Natural Environment Research Council, Parliament is given a much wider overview of what is happening under the council. Indeed, the council’s own website helpfully gives a diagram that shows Parliament sitting at the top, represented by the Secretary of State. The advertisement for the two vacancies on the Natural Environment Research Council, which appears on its website, helpfully says that the council is responsible to Parliament and other citizens. When something is as contentious as this, is there a mechanism that should be employed to refer the matter at least to the Select Committee in order to review the situation? It is surely very unusual that such a body of eminent scientists as have been very assiduous in writing to the press, in contacting us, and talking about this, speak with one voice, so concerned are they about cuts in the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology’s programme. This is of central importance in NERC’s work now, so they are frustrated at having been unable to change the direction of the decision taken. When the Royal Charter refers to Parliament being in prime position with regard to the research council, I wonder what that means, given that there is deep unhappiness over decisions taken. Where is Parliament’s role in making its voice heard? I beg to move.