Speeches by Buckley.

“So separate specific grant schemes, replicating successful ones in Wales. Did you want to come in, Dr Weatherall?”

“Between you, you have suggested what feels like targets or minimum thresholds, which feels like a proposal that could be fed to Government in our report, but you also were very clear at the start that this is an economic issue of businesses. How do we persuade businesses by adding more regulation? How do we crack that …”

“So a mix.”

“Are you suggesting that the definitions should be made wider in order to make that more feasible?”

“Okay. And you, Mr Knight?”

“That is really helpful, thank you. Mr Tubby?”

“You have already touched on deer management, and you made an articulate case about the economic threat to our woodlands. We were glad to see you observing the previous panel. Do you agree with their assessments of the threats facing ancient woodlands and how they can be addressed? I will start with Dr Weatherall.”

“It is just about the funding following the action plan to match the policy?”

“Are you suggesting that if the woodlands have more of a critical mass, a larger size, additional benefits accrue from them?”

“It could be capacity, training, knowledge, because it is further away from environment.”

“Just going back to the review you did and which you have just committed to do again, perhaps there is space in there for a bit of an action plan setting out how you will help those Departments that are performing the weakest.”

“We would certainly welcome sight of that, if that is possible. I have a follow-up question. Both your own review and the OEP’s review of the implementation of EPPS found there was some inconsistency with senior leadership buy-in between different Departments, with variations in the duty’s application. Which Departments…”

“That is helpful, and it is really what the OEP is asking, isn’t it? It is asking for proof that the tool is effective. Are there any plans to update that, maybe an annual review, so that you are doing a touchpoint saying, “Coming back to it, we are just checking in on how effective that is year on year”? I think that c…”

“I would like to come back, Minister, to something you mentioned about the environmental principles policy statement and the way you are working across Government. The OEP has repeatedly called for more transparency to demonstrate whether that policy statement is influencing policy development at a formative stage, as i…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. It is incredible to see that more than 121,000 people signed John Story’s powerful petition, which has enabled today’s debate. I am here to give two clear messages. My first message is to apologise to local campaigners, particularly Mandy Hudson, who wrote to…”

“Just continuing on that proposed ban, when parliamentary time allows, to what extent would you say England has kept pace with the devolved nations on this?”

“Just imagine that you had a mechanism to get a message through to the people who are drafting the King’s Speech for next year’s list of legislation. Imagine that mechanism is the report of today’s session, and so any recommendations in there will be read by the Ministers, who will feed into the people drafting next yea…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. I, too, thank the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted (Victoria Collins) for securing today’s debate, which brings together so many of us who have a shared passion for aligning local transport with development. I can understand why so many colleagues…”

“You are suggesting a pick and mix—take the best bits and take them forward?”

“On that EU point, I will hand over to my colleague Martin Rhodes.”