Environment Minister quizzed by Lords
Richard Benyon MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Natural Environment and Fisheries at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), will appear before the Lords Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment EU Sub-Committee on Wednesday 7 March as part of their inquiry into the EU's freshwater policy.
Mr Benyon will be questioned by the Committee on issues such as:
- whether the Government should inject more urgency into securing future water supplies given the forecasts for imminent water shortages;
- whether the Government has shown a lack of ambition in planning to meet targets for improving the quality of watercourses under the EU Water Framework Directive;
- whether his Department and the Environment Agency, as “top-down” organisations, are genuinely able to encourage and sustain local involvement in managing river catchments (as the Directive requires); and
- whether there is adequate co-ordination between EU water policy and other EU actions, notably the Common Agricultural Policy and regional policy.
The evidence sessions will take place on Wednesday 7 March from 10.45am in Committee Room 3A of the House of Lords.
The evidence session is open to media and the public. Please allow time for security screening.
The evidence session will also be broadcast live on Parliament TV.