The work of the Committee in 2008-09 - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Contents


3  Working methods

34. As in previous years, we have tried to combine a programme of strategic long-term inquiries with the ability to respond to events. In previous years, Defra's areas of responsibility have included some of the most serious incidents to affect the UK, such as the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in the spring and summer of 2001 and the summer 2007 floods. This year we responded to the collapse of the Dairy Farmers of Britain dairy co-operative. The inquiry was announced in July and we started taking oral evidence during the summer recess. Evidence-taking has now concluded and a report is in preparation.

35. Our forward programme aims to include an inquiry into the draft National Policy Statement on waste water and pre-legislative scrutiny of Defra's proposed draft Bill on animal health and cost sharing, if both documents are published in sufficient time before the general election.

36. We note that an increasing amount of our work programme is pre-determined by the obligations on us to conduct scrutiny in accordance with the House of Commons Standing Orders, legislation, or through agreement between the Liaison Committee and the Government. We are happy to carry out such inquiries, but this does limit the Committee's ability to respond swiftly to policy developments and recent events.

37. As in the past, we have made use of our power to establish a sub-committee—enabling us to cover more ground than would be the case with the full Committee. We have also made use of the 'rapporteur' system, whereby a designated member of the Committee undertakes some research on a topic and then reports back to the main Committee with recommendations on how to proceed.

38. Although, thankfully, this year the UK has not suffered an animal disease outbreak on the scale of Foot and Mouth in 2001, there remain significant disease risks to the UK's agriculture, not least from Bovine TB, Avian Influenza and African Swine Fever. We maintain a 'watching brief' on animal health through our Notifiable Animal Disease Observatory—a group of the Committee's members who receive briefing on the current state of the UK's animal disease status and risks.

Government Responses

39. The Government is required to reply to our reports within two months. This year we have not made substantive comments on the Government response to any of our reports. We include as an Annex a table showing the Government response to our published conclusions and recommendations.

Public involvement in the Committee's work

40. We are committed to including a wide range of organisations and individuals in the Committee's work. In previous years we have taken evidence from members of the public affected by certain circumstances or policy under consideration.

41. This year we launched our Securing Food Supplies up to 2050 inquiry with an event at Borough Market, London's oldest food market on the south side of the Thames near London Bridge. We invited a range of speakers to talk about food security and the future of the UK's food. The event was open to the public, and flyers were prepared to tell people the event was taking place.

Media coverage

42. We have continued to maintain a strong media profile throughout the 2008-09 Session. At the start of the year our report into the English Pig Industry caught the public mood and it enjoyed widespread coverage in the print and broadcast media. In July our next major report looked at issues affecting the security of UK food supplies. This provoked widespread coverage in much of the national, regional, local and specialist print media (thanks partly to the efforts of the Press Association's Westminster reporting) and was used by BBC Farming Today as a base from which to build a week of programmes around the report's key findings.

43. More generally, the food and farming press continues to cover many of our evidence sessions. In addition, where reports have a more specialist focus—such as that examining the Ofwat Price Review 2009—our work continues to enjoy solid coverage in a range of trade titles or web outlets that cover the more technical part of the environmental management agenda.

44. Sadly, our report on Energy Efficiency and Fuel Poverty did not get the kind of coverage that we felt an issue affecting at least 5 million households ought to enjoy. However, six months later when devastating Government statistics on fuel poverty were issued to an equal lack of media interest, we had to accept this was more a reflection of the values dominating editorial decision-making than it was about the extent to which this enduring problem blights far too many people's lives.

45. Lastly, we were encouraged to see our pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Flood and Water Management Bill strongly reported, not least in those parts of the country affected in recent years by extreme flooding. It was also gratifying when this report came back into the news two months later once the subsequent Bill was read for the first time to the House—just a week after disastrous flooding swept through Cumbria.

Reducing our own environmental impact

46. We strive to reduce our own impact on the environment. Our travel for visits in the UK or to European institutions is by train as far as possible. In previous reports we have noted with regret that the House of Commons continues to use bottled water and plastic cups in meeting rooms. Unfortunately this remains the case and so we again urge the House to provide jugs of tap water and glasses in meeting rooms without delay. Failure to make this small change is damaging to the reputation of the House as whole and is particularly unhelpful for a Committee examining environmental and sustainability policy, including that of the water industry.

Sources of information and assistance

47. Over the course of the Session we have been assisted by several specialist advisers. They are listed in Annex A. We are most grateful to them for their assistance. Help was also received from the National Audit Office, the House of Commons Scrutiny Unit, and the research services directorate of the Department of Information Services in the House of Commons. In addition, we recognise the contribution to our work made by the main specialist and trade publications that report on a wide range of matters of interest to the Committee. We have continued to enjoy positive relations with Defra and have had private briefings from officials on occasion. Ministers and officials have attended evidence sessions when requested.


 
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