Examination of Witnesses (Questions 198-199)
MR MARTIN
HARPER, MR
ROBERT CUNNINGHAM,
MR TOM
OLIVER AND
MR PAUL
HAMBLIN
18 JANUARY 2006
Q198 Chairman: My apologies that you
have been kept waiting, but let us move on. Representing the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds we have got Martin Harper,
the Head of Government Affairs, and Robert Cunningham, the Senior
Water Policy Officer; for the Campaign to Protect Rural England,
Mr Tom Oliver, the Head of Rural Policy, and Mr Paul Hamblin,
the Head of Transport and Natural Resources. Just before I ask
Mr Drew to move into our more detailed questions, I want to ask
the RSPB, you do not seem to have a word of criticism about the
Environment Agency at all in your evidence? It looks like a sort
of proverbial love-in between your organisation and the Agency.
Is it really all so much sweetness and light?
Mr Harper: I should firstly say
thank you very much for inviting us along here. I am stepping
in for my boss, Mark Avery, who sends his apologies. He is laid
up in bed. He has got a very bad back. He would love to be here,
but unfortunately he cannot. Fortunately, I am alongside Rob,
who is very good on the water matters.
Q199 Chairman: Well, with the Parliamentary
broadcasting he may be locked in to our every word!
Mr Harper: I hope he is, and I
am sure that he will be very pleased with what we are about to
say. Unfortunately for your Committee, I am afraid we will not
be giving you the nuclear option of wholesale reform, principally
because we feel the Environment Agency is delivering a good job
in terms of the regulatory responsibilities it has. I think it
is very apt that CPRE and RSPB are on this panel because it was
back in the mid-80s when we clubbed together to produce a report
called Liquid Assets, which outlined the reasons why the regulatory
responsibility of Government with regard to water should not be
privatised. We think it is therefore completely appropriate that
the Environment Agency over the last 10 years has evolved principally
as a regulator of water abstraction, pollution, and indeed of
flood risk prevention. That will help to complement the principally
incentivising responsibility of Natural England, its partner body.
Patrick Hall: Chairman, could I just
comment on that point?
Chairman: I want to bring David in, but
then you can, of course.
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