Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Establishment of Conservation Board) (Amendment) Order 2009

I thank the Minister for giving us the opportunity to discuss these two orders. I declare an interest as a farmer, but the Fens are not likely to be subject to a designation. It is important to debate the Chilterns and the Cotswolds, two self-evidently scenic parts of our country. These designations were made only in 2005, but I wonder what assessment Defra has made of their success since then. The orders address the internal management of the finances of the conservation boards, particularly the pensions provisions. As the Minister has presented them, they may represent good housekeeping. However, they open up the possibility of a broader debate on the administration and performance of AONBs. Therefore, I hope that the Minister will understand if I ask questions about them. First, how many and which members of each board are Secretary of State appointees, and how long have they been in post? How many are due to be reappointed in the next 10 months and what procedures have to be followed to appoint extra people to the boards? Does the passing of the statute imply the de facto limitation of any future government action involving the dissolution of a conservation board; for example—the Minister mentioned that local authorities do not disappear but morph into different local authorities—by changing an AONB into a national park? Would the statute apply even if a conservation board were to increase in size? If so, how were the current board structures decided and, if they have to be expanded, how can they be changed? Are the existing boards audited, performance-reviewed or otherwise monitored to ensure that they are effective? If not, how can the Government be sure that they will continue as currently structured and staffed? I ask these questions because there has been considerable concern at the size of these boards and the risk that accountability may not be as strong as it could be. Has any assessment been made of that? I apologise to the Minister for bombarding him with questions, but they are a reasonable background against which to set these statutory instruments. Areas of outstanding natural beauty are an important element of our country’s heritage, and getting the right balance between excessive bureaucracy and the conservation requirement is very important. I hope the Minister can address that in his reply.