Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

moved Amendment No. 5:"Page 7, line 29, leave out from ““which”” to ““and”” in line 30 and insert ““relevant persons’ policies are developed, adopted and implemented (by rural proofing or otherwise)””" The noble Lord said: My Lords, Amendment No. 5 revisits the role of the Commission for Rural Communities with respect to rural-proofing. The noble Lord, Lord Cameron, spoke very convincingly to an amendment on this subject at Report. I responded that I was minded to accept the principles of his amendment, but that he and I should agree a slightly different form of words for the Bill. The noble Lord and I had what I think we would both describe as a very interesting and, I hope, very positive discussion on this issue, and the form of words set out in the amendment is one with which we are, I hope, both content. Amendment No. 5 makes a revision to Clause 19(c) that further clarifies the role of the Commission for Rural Communities with respect to rural proofing. It will widen the CRC’s monitoring role to include looking at how bodies develop policy as well as implement it. That will enable it to make better judgments about how the rural-proofing process is undertaken by organisations—for example councils or RDAs—as they develop their strategies. It will also enable the CRC to provide government departments and other bodies with an impartial, expert view not only of the way in which their policies are meeting rural needs, but of whether their processes of policy development are taking proper account of the rural angle. Given the definition of ““relevant persons”” elsewhere in the Bill, Clause 19(c) empowers the CRC to undertake this role in respect of bodies in both the public sector and the private and voluntary sectors, where such bodies are concerned with any aspect of rural needs. All that will add weight to the CRC’s advocacy and watchdog roles, and will make the CRC a body that must be listened to. The role of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in rural proofing will remain unchanged. Defra champions rural-proofing within government, taking the lead on setting rural-proofing policy and promoting rural-proofing to government bodies at all levels and providing advice to other government departments and delivery bodies on how best they can support delivery of the Government’s rural agenda. Clarifying the role of the CRC in the way set out by this amendment will help both Defra and the CRC to work together to help to ensure that polices which affect rural areas are adequately rural-proofed and that the needs of people and business in rural areas are properly considered by policy makers. That will, I am sure, be good news to anyone concerned with the well-being and future of rural areas. In commending the amendment to the House, I put on record our appreciation of the persuasive support of the noble Lord, Lord Cameron, for the CRC and other sections of the Bill. Rural-proofing has been a successful policy tool since its introduction in 2000, not least, if I may say so, because of the role which the noble Lord played during his time as chairman of the Countryside Agency. I beg to move.