Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by the British Mountaineering Council (Appendix 10)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  1.  The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) welcomes the draft Bill. The BMC raises some issues of particular concern to the effectiveness of the legislation in answer to questions raised by the Committee. The BMC highlights the importance of access and recreation within the purpose of the proposed Integrated Agency, and makes comments on the importance of landscape protection in the work of the Agency. The BMC suggests additions relating to survey and monitoring within the scope of research and makes comments on the powers of the Secretary of State to determine the membership of the Integrated Agency. The BMC identifies a key issue in supporting rural communities and states its belief that it should be a statutory consultee on countryside matters under the draft Bill.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

  2.  The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the representative body for hill-walkers, climbers and mountaineers in England and Wales, and has a membership of over 64,000. The BMC's stated mission is to:

    —  Negotiate access improvements and promote cliff and mountain conservation.

    —  Promote and advise on good practice, facilities, training and equipment.

    —  Support events and specialist programmes including youth and excellence.

    —  Provide services and information for members.

  Access and conservation have been central concerns of the BMC since its formation in 1944 and is the area of work seen by members as the Council's most important activity. The BMC owns a small number of climbing sites and is involved in managing others.

INTEGRATED AGENCY

  3.  The British Mountaineering Council welcomes the publication of the draft Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Bill and this chance to comment upon it. We welcome the establishment of the Integrated Agency as an effective and powerful champion of the natural environment and the Commission for Rural Communities as a strong advocate for rural communities.

  4.  The EFRA Committee asks whether the draft NERC Bill differs significantly from proposals in the Government's Rural Strategy, and if the draft Bill allows Government to implement proposals in the Rural Strategy effectively. The BMC believes that the draft NERC Bill as it relates to the Integrated Agency is broad and enabling in scope. Thus we do not identify any key conflicts between proposals in the Rural Strategy and the wide scope of the Bill. Given the level of detail presented thus far, it is hard to answer whether the Bill allows effective implementation. Paragraphs 5 to 8 below highlight some concerns which will need resolving for effective implementation to occur.

  5.  Regional delivery is enabled in the Bill, but its effective implementation depends on the detailed arrangements.

  6.  Delivery of agri-environment schemes will be a key rôle of the work of the Agency. It is important that access agreements form a part of these schemes wherever possible.

  7.  In order to achieve its aims the Integrated Agency may need powers or duties to be able to influence other organisations, such as local authorities or highway authorities. It is not currently clear that these powers/duties are present in the draft Bill.

  8.  Partnership working with non-governmental and volunteer organisations will be needed for the Integrated Agency to be fully successful. While this is enabled by the draft NERC Bill, the detail will again determine how effective this will be.

ACCESS AND RECREATION

  9.  As climbers, mountaineers and hillwalkers, members of the BMC rely on the natural environment for their activities, and the protection of this natural environment is crucial to the long-term viability of these outdoor activities. The BMC hold a real concern that the importance of access and recreation may be relegated to a position of little significance if the Integrated Agency is dominated by agricultural and conservation interests. The general purpose set out in clause 2 of the draft Bill does not indicate priorities for the Agency, but facilitating and promoting access to the countryside for open air recreation in accordance with the general purpose should not be held subservient to other aspects of its work.

  10.  It is the experience of the BMC that it is rare that conflict between access to the countryside and biodiversity or landscape concerns cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. In the event of irreconcilable conflict between aspects of the general purpose given in clause 2(2), decisions should be made based on the merits of each case.

LANDSCAPE PROTECTION

  11.  While biodiversity protection is a critical and welcome part of the role for the Integrated Agency, landscape protection is also extremely important. The level of protection afforded landscape should be raised to a par with that for biodiversity.

RESEARCH, SURVEY AND MONITORING

  12.  The BMC welcomes the inclusion of research as a role for the Integrated Agency in clause 4. Given the importance of accurate data as the bedrock of informed policy and decision making, we suggest that "survey and monitoring" be added following "research" in both clauses 4(a) and 4(b).

POWERS OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE

  13.  Schedule 1, clauses 3 and 4 give the Secretary of State sweeping powers to determine the composition of the Agency's membership. The BMC believes this has the potential to compromise the Integrated Agency's ability to be an independent body. In addition, the balance of interests within this membership and the necessary competencies will need to be addressed.

COMMISSION FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES

  14.  The role of the Commission is more tightly defined than that of the Integrated Agency and the BMC welcomes its role as an advocate for the needs of rural communities. In doing this, the Commission must recognise the important positive economic impact that tourism and in particular visitors engaged in outdoor activities have on many of the most disadvantaged rural communities. This is recognised in Chapter 3, paragraphs 89 to 97 of the Rural Strategy.

BRITISH MOUNTAINEERING COUNCIL AS A STATUTORY CONSULTEE

  15.  The British Mountaineering Council is a Statutory Consultee under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The BMC should also be made a statutory consultee on matters relating to the countryside under this legislation.

British Mountaineering Council

February 2005





 
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