Speeches by Gardiner.

“I understand. It was just clarity I wanted, and I think it is very sensible planning. Will each goal in the new plan have a clear apex target? One of the things that was criticised by Dame Glenys in the—”

“I have all the other ones.”

“I was interested in your response to my colleague Sarah Gibson when you said about the flood alleviation scheme and that we are putting more into flood defence. You may know that the Committee has just come back from Holland—”

“It was very interesting to see the approach that they took there. What they do is specify the level of risk under their strategic plan that each area should have to bear and then they deliver at national, regional and local level that level of risk no matter what the cost. They are a country that is 40% below sea level…”

“And to local catchments.”

“The Prime Minister deserves plaudits for the skilful way in which he handled his visit to Washington last week, as he does for the resolve that he has shown in standing against Russia’s illegal invasion of the sovereign state of Ukraine. Surely, though, this is a moment to accept that the post-war international settlem…”

“If I have not already tried to lead the witness, I will certainly try over this: do you think it strange that as part of ELMS we are still encouraging or paying farmers to do what for 200 years we have known is the sensible thing to do, namely to rotate their crops? Why are we paying farmers to do what any sensible far…”

“Ms Prosser, can I thank you very much for what you said in December, when you exhorted the Government to please just stop introducing new laws before they have implemented the old ones? It is a cry that many of us have been making for a long time, and it was good that you said that so strongly. Your key recommendation …”

“My fear is that we know that 50% of grade 1 agricultural land is highly susceptible to flooding, so if we do not get the overall land strategy right, it is a very serious threat as we have increasing climate change and increasing precipitation and floods.”

“It is just good to get you to jog us into it. If we have it on the record that you would like us to recommend it, it is helpful.”

“Just to pick up on what you were discussing with the Chair earlier, would it be helpful for us to make a specific recommendation about the timescale of response?”

“So if this Committee were making recommendations from today, it would be for the Government to explain how they are achieving the target that they are supposed to have achieved already.”

“This is a statutory target, is it not?”

“Absolutely. Have you made recommendations to Government about that?”

“Absolutely, and of course the failure by the end of last year to progress with the complete stopping of trawling in all the MPAs.”

“Would it not be better to say, “The extent of UK area designated as protected for nature at sea”? Otherwise, we are giving a false impression in the indicators that you have here.”

“In a sense, that brings us back to the original point about implementing rather than simply designating. I wanted to ask you about your indicators, because in table 2.2 in the report refers to, “Extent of UK area protected for nature at sea”. That is on page 39—I see you have it in front of you—and of course you have a…”

“You talk about how we need to correct, I think you say, the under-investment in site designation and management. Could you formulate for us the recommendations that you would like to see this Committee making around that?”

“Although it is not in there at the moment, is it?”

“Great. I do not want to disturb your flow, but while we are on that point, will you be making any recommendations that relate to catchment management and doing things on a catchment basis?”