Public Policy

Policy Digest

Policy Digest is produced four times each year (February, April, July and October) by the BES Policy Team.

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The latest edition is below.

7 October 2011



Contents

1. BES Policy News

2. UK Parliament

- Environmental Audit Committee
- Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

- House of Commons Science and Technology Committee

- House of Lords Science and Technology Committee

- Energy and Climate Change Committee
- Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

3. Government Departments

- DEFRA
- DECC

- DBIS

4. Devolved Administrations

- Scotland
- Wales
 - Northern Ireland

5. European Union

6. Funding Councils

7. UK Overseas Territories

1. BES Policy News

For the latest science-policy news see the BES Ecology & Policy blog.

2. UK Parliament

a)  Environmental Audit Committee

Current inquiries

Reports published since April 2011

Government responses to the Committee’s inquiries into:

Committee report on:

b) Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Current inquiries

The EFRA Select Committee ran a short inquiry into the Natural Environment White Paper for England, to which the BES responded.

A longer enquiry into this subject is running; oral evidence sessions will be announced shortly. The BES contributed to this by commenting on the response from Wildlife and Countryside Link.

The Committee has taken evidence for an inquiry into EU proposals for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, following an inquiry earlier this year into Domestic Fisheries Management – Implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy, to which the Government response has been published.

The Government has also responded to the Committee’s inquiry into the Common Agricultural Policy after 2013.

Reports published since April 2011:

c) House of Commons Science and Technology Committee

Reports published since April 2011

The Committee has published its reports into:

d) House of Lords Science and Technology Committee

Ongoing inquiries:

e) Energy and Climate Change Committee 

Current inquiries

The Committee has accepted written evidence for an inquiry into the role and function of departmental Chief Scientific Advisers.

Reports since April 2011

Committee report of its inquiry into Behaviour Change, together with the Government response.

f)  Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST)

Recent POSTnotes

3. UK Government Departments

a) Defra

England Biodiversity Strategy(August 2011)

The England Biodiversity Strategy has been refreshed as a response to the Aichi Targets to arise from the Convention on Biological Diversity Nagoya meeting (2010) and the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. The overall mission is to halt overall biodiversity loss, support healthy well-functioning ecosystems and establish coherent ecological networks, with more and better places for nature for the benefit of wildlife and people. Key points include:

  • Working with the agricultural, forestry, planning, freshwater management, marine and fisheries sectors on targeted actions, for example a review of how agri-environment schemes are used;
  • Launching three pilots to trial new approaches to wildlife recording and data sharing. Investing £5 million to support groups that co-ordinate local recording, contributing to the work of the National Biodiversity Network;
  • Working with civil society organisations on the recovery of priority species and on engaging the public with the importance of nature.

Badgers and Bovine TB

On 19th July, Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State at Defra, announced that the Government was ‘strongly minded’ to allow controlled culling of badgers to occur, led by groups of farmers as part of a ‘science led and carefully managed policy of badger control’. The proposal is to allow shooting of free-running badgers by trained specialists. Lord Krebs, Chair of the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee, has suggested that theGovernment is ignoring the evidence in sanctioning a cull, the costs of which may outweigh the benefits. A further consultation on proposals closed on 30 September and a decision is expected later in 2011.

Red Tape Challenge ‘spotlight’

During September, the ‘spotlight’ fell on environmental regulation as part of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge – an initiative to encourage business to comment on areas of policy which they find excessive, costly and burdensome. Ministers at Defra now have three months to consider comments before having to justify why regulation should be retained. Wildlife and Countryside Link has a seat on a ‘Sounding Board’ at Defra to consider the RTC.

Defra approves GM wheat trial

Defra has granted consent to Rothamsted Research to conduct a research trial on GM wheat in 2012 and 2013.  The research is on wheat that has been genetically modified to resist aphids, a pest in wheat crops.   

b)   Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fourth Carbon Budget Agreed

The Government has set forth its proposals for a fourth carbon budget, covering emissions for the whole of the UK between 2023 – 2027. Proposed is an emissions level (carbon dioxide equivalent) of 1950 Mt, a cut in emissions of 50% compared to 1990 levels. Under the Climate Change Act, the Government is committed to reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. A report outlining how the Government will meet these emissions targets will be published in October 2011.

Biomass plants given go-ahead

The Government has announced the launch of three new biomass plants, in Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and Holyhead. Combined, the plants will produce enough electricity to power more than 800,000 homes. The feedstocks will come from both imported and local sources.

c)      Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

 £195m investment in science and engineering announced by the Chancellor

At the Conservative Party Conference on 3rd October, Chancellor George Osborne announced an investment of £50m to create a Graphene Global Research and Technology Hub, through open competition. £145m will be provided through the Science and Technology Facilities Council to support the development of high performance computing and electronic infrastructure in this country, which will benefit UK universities and industry. Imran Khan, Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, welcomed the announcement but pointed to a recent CaSE analysis showing that by 2014-15, £1.7 billion will have been cut from Research and Development funding in the UK, through restructuring the science budget (£4.6 billion per annum) to exclude capital expenditure.

d)      Department for Communities and Local Government

National Planning Policy Framework

The Government is currently consulting on the draft National Planning Policy Framework, which seeks to streamline current lengthy planning guidance into approximately 50 pages. The ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ has angered many NGOs, such as the National Trust. There is concern that the ‘substantial weight’ given to economic growth, compared with the ‘great weight’ given to environmental considerations, coupled with a lack of ecological expertise within local authorities, could result in damage to green space in England. David Cameron wrote to the National Trust in September, promising that the Government will ensure ‘appropriate protections for our magnificent countryside’.

4. Devolved Administrations

a)      Scotland

RERAS releases priorities for Strategic Research (2011 – 2016)

The Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Agricultural Services Division (RERAS) has announced its priorities for Strategic Research to 2016. Strategic Research Programmes include ‘Environmental Change’, incorporating research themes on ecosystem services and on land use.

Biodiversity monitoring project

The impact of agri-environment funding on Scotland's biodiversity will be monitored through a new three-year project that will use remote sensing and field surveys to monitor changes to biodiversity, helping to assess how effectively the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) protects and enhances Scotland’s natural heritage. The launch coincided with the publication of the first national High Nature Value Farming and Forestry report, which shows that at least 40 per cent of both farmland and forestry areas in Scotland are managed in ways that provide high biodiversity value.

b)  Wales

Wales ’s natural environment benefits from an extra one million pounds

Environment Minister, John Griffiths has announced an extra £1million to help create new habitats and stronger ecosystems for Wales. The money will be used to enhance Wales’s natural environment and in doing so will benefit its wider economy.  It will also be used to develop new pilot projects that support the Welsh Government’s plans for managing the natural environment as set out in its natural environment consultation, ‘A Living Wales’. 

c)      Northern Ireland

No significant developments to report.

5. European Union

EU preparations for Rio +20

The European Commission is working with Member States to prepare proposals and ideas for the outcome of the Rio +20 meeting in June 2012. In a speech delivered to a meeting in New Delhi on 3rd October, Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, stated that Rio +20 must deliver: a changed path of growth for Member States’ economies; more efficient and sustainable use of natural resources; a new vision for agriculture, as a driver for food security, sustainability and growth. Mr Potočnik made clear the importance of biodiversity to the delivery of ecosystem services:  ‘Increasing biodiversity is investing in development and poverty reduction’, he stated.

 EU budget announcements

The European Commission announced its proposal for the 2014-2020 EU budget in July. It is proposed that approximately 30% of the €372 billion budget will be allocated to ‘Pillar 2’, to encourage environmentally sound practices, through agri-environment schemes. The amount of funding available within Pillar 2 will be cut by approximately 7% compared to the previous budget period, whilst Member States will have freedom to move funding between Pillar 2 and Pillar 1 – which provides direct payments to farmers. The leaders of Member States will begin to negotiate the budget during the first meeting (17-18 October 2011) under the Polish Presidency.

Funding for Life+ programme

The European Commission announced funding for 183 new projects under the LIFE+ programme in July 2011, in nature conservation, climate change, clean technology, environmental policy and communication on the environment. The projects will be supported by €244 million, with the projects providing matched funding.


6. Funding Councils

New working group to examine research transparency

Science Minister David Willetts has announced a new independent working group to look at how UK-funded research findings can be broadened for key audiences such as researchers, policy makers and the general public. The group, made up of representatives from the higher education sector, research investors, the research community, scholarly publishers and libraries, will focus on academic publications, specifically journal articles, conference proceedings and monographs. Recommendations will be put forward to Government in spring 2012.

7. UK Overseas Territories

Letter from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme to all UKOT stakeholders

The Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP) sent a letter to all stakeholders in the UK Overseas Territories on 26th September, stating that the Government would not continue with the usual OTEP bidding process for projects to start in 2012. The Government is committed to maintaining funding at current levels for at least the next two years but that much of the funding available for 2012 has already been committed to ongoing, multi-year projects, meaning that a full bidding round cannot be justified.

The Foreign Secretary has committed the Government to produce a White Paper bringing together all aspects of the Government’s policies on the OTs. The JNCC has been commissioned to run two pilot projects, in the British Virgin Islands and the Falklands, to examine how the UK Government might help the OTs to better mainstream environmental issues.

Finally, the letter states ‘the new few years are likely to be something of a hybrid’ in funding terms. The Darwin Initiative, covering projects in the OTs and developing countries, co-funded by Defra and DFID, has been protected from budget cuts and increased, with DFID funding pledged for the next four years. The Challenge Fund component of the Darwin Initiative fund, supporting scoping projects in the OTs, will remain in place.

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