Speeches by Gardiner.

“At the least would you like to see this Committee highlight in its report that at best the quality of BNG programmes will be variable unless some standardisation of the ecological qualifications is introduced?”

“Thank you. How will the Government’s planning reforms change how your organisation operates and delivers its services?”

“I am sorry to rush you, but we have limited time. In terms of how this Committee should approach it, particularly what you have said about the dropping of the protected species’ requirements, should we draw that to the attention of the Government as a threat and something that needs to be offset within any BNG that is …”

“The point here is that by dropping that requirement biodiversity net gain will not be a net gain but will be a net loss. Is that correct?”

“Thank you. Would you say that in the report that we are producing there should be a recommendation about the training in ecology for enforcement officers? Obviously the lack of skills there will also be a problem because they have to ensure that they can enforce these contracts.”

“A quarter of all local authorities do not have any ecological expertise. I think of those that do only 55% of those are in-house. You are talking basically about a third?”

“Can you perhaps describe how the environmental delivery plans can change your approach and the mechanism for which they use the Nature Restoration Fund, which aims to help developers compensate for specific harms when mitigation is not possible? Is that a shortcut to avoiding the hierarchy of mitigation?”

“I am sorry, I am going to have to cut you short.”

“What recommendation should this Committee make about that point?”

“Can you perhaps describe how the environmental delivery plans can change your approach and the mechanism for which they use the Nature Restoration Fund, which aims to help developers compensate for specific harms when mitigation is not possible? Is that a shortcut to avoiding the hierarchy of mitigation?”

“Should we be making any recommendations about increased funding for training and skills development?”

“That is another recommendation this Committee can make. Thank you very much.”

“Mr King, I think many residents would say that they would love to be managed by your company if that is the way in which you do business. However, many of us around this table have the experience of constituents where the estate managers see service charges as a way of racking up their profits. We can name them—FirstPo…”

“A quarter of all local authorities do not have any ecological expertise. I think of those that do only 55% of those are in-house. You are talking basically about a third?”

“That is why local authorities used to have the estate management responsibility. It was not privatised so that it could then be a means of rent extraction on the householders.”

“Ms Toovey, what incentive does my local authority in Brent have to enforce its contract for an offsite biodiversity net gain project in Yorkshire? It is not going to affect my constituents, except those who go to visit Yorkshire and on holidays or something. The costs of doing it for local authorities will be quite sub…”

“It is no skin off my local authority’s nose, is it? Are they going to get any kudos in from the voters in Brent for enforcing something that may be very nice for the voters in Yorkshire?”

“Who actually has the contract? I thought that my local authority had the contract with the provider of the BNG. If that is remote from my local authority, what is the incentive to then enforce?”

“Could you perhaps write to the Committee setting that out very clearly? That would be very helpful, thank you.”

“I totally sympathise and agree with you. Dr Howard, are there particular areas of ecological expertise where skills shortages you think are particularly acute within the sector? Would you like to comment on what Ms Searle has been saying and the things we have been discussing specifically about species?”