Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

moved Amendment No. 343:"Page 66, line 31, at end insert—"    ““A board is to be regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.”” The noble Baroness said: In moving Amendment No. 343 I shall speak also to Amendment No. 344. The Radcliffe report makes it quite clear that there is a strong and widespread feeling that the existing levy bodies are closer to government than they are to the levy payers. On page 6 under ““Governance and Accountability””, it states:"““The levy bodies are not part of Defra’s ‘delivery landscape’; rather, they are there to spend levy payers’ monies on meeting the levy payers’ needs””." On page 71, in expansion of the governance topic, she writes:"““The levy bodies can seem remote from the levy payers and from their representative organisations . . . They can sometimes be regarded as ‘part of government’ rather than ‘part of industry’””." On page 72 she states:"““some of the constraints imposed on the composition of boards and ways of appointing board members, together with the complexities of NDPB accounting and reporting arrangements, can make them appear remote from levy payers””." Later there was a comment on the degree of ministerial interference in the levy setting which makes it quite clear that levy payers have little or no control over what they spend, even in industries where they have not been in receipt of a subsidy. At the very least, we believe that the Bill should contain overt instructions to the effect that the process of selection for the boards will be open, uniform and as far as possible removed from ministerial patronage. I hardly dare to turn to pensions. At earlier stages we had various discussions on pensions and I return to the matter under this part of the Bill. On re-reading Hansard, it seems that I have not yet adequately explained our difficulty, so I shall try again. The Bill provides for the payment of pensions to serving board chairmen, board members and, in the case of Natural England, the commission and the JNCC, to employees. The Bill also provides for the payment of moneys to provide for pensions for the serving members of boards and for the staff in the cases of Natural England, the commission and the JNCC. Our contention is that serving members and staff should not receive pensions unless they have been earned with, and paid by, a previous employer; for example, a police force. We also contend that it is reasonable, and to be expected, that the sum should be set aside to fund future pensions for members and staff once they have completed their service. Therefore, we are confused that when it comes to the agricultural boards there is no such provision. It appears that serving members may be paid a pension, but that their service will not accrue pensionable rights. I try again and I beg to move.