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Natural Environment & Rural Communities Bill | AIM This bill creates a single countryside agency, Natural England, to manage the natural environment.MAIN PROVISIONS | BILL'S PROGRESS Responsible department: Defra Origin: House of Commons Introduced: 19 May 2005 Second reading: 6 June 2005 Committee stage: 22,24,28,30 June & 5 July 2005 Remaining stages: 11 October 2005 Consideration of Lords amendments: 29 March 2006 First reading: 12 October 2005 Second reading: 7 November 2005 Committee stage: 24 & 30 Jan, 1, 8, 27 & 28 Feb 2006 Report stage: 15 & 20 March 2006 Third reading: 27 March 2006 ROYAL ASSENT: 30 March 2006 |
The integrated agency, to be established by January 2007, will encompass English Nature, part of the Countryside Agency and most of the Rural Development Service to be responsible for access to and quality of life in countryside Establishes a Commission for Rural Communities as a watchdog for rural interests Improves flexibility and funding for bodies under Defra remit Streamlines rural services and modernises wildlife and national park legislation BACKGROUND This legislation emanates from the government's rural strategy published in July 2004 and it is broadly the same as the draft Modernising Rural Delivery Bill of February 2005. Many of the proposals are also drawn from the Rural Delivery review Lord Haskins has been working on since November 2002, following the Rural White Paper of November 2000 and the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001. The amalgamated agency will replace:-
English Nature which champions conservation and biodiversity and recently led the government GM crop trials
The Countryside Agency replaced the Countryside Commission in 1999 to represent rural communities and policies including the right to roam
The Forestry Commission was reorganised into distinct bodies for the England, Scotland and Wales in 2005, to manage over 1m hectares of wood and forest land
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