Clause 11 - Power to charge for services and licences
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill
5:00 pm
Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire, Liberal Democrat)
I beg to move amendment No. 106, in clause 11, page 5, line 15, at end insert—
‘(1A) Before giving consent under subsection (1), the Secretary of State shall consult with such persons as appear to be affected by any proposals by Natural England to make charges for its services.’.
Seldom does legislation come before the House that does not give the Government the power to charge people for various services or other things that they may wish to dispense. That is despite the fact that the final regulatory impact assessment said about the provision:
“It is not intended that Natural England will impose any additional direct costs or regulatory burdens on small businesses. It should reduce costs and burdens by offering more effective and simpler relationships with land managers”.
However, clause 11 states that
“Natural England may, with the consent of the Secretary of State, make such charges for its services as appear to it to be reasonable.”
My amendment would require the Secretary of State to consult land managers and other people with an interest in the services that might be provided by Natural England. Until now, I understood that English Nature would provide free advice to land managers who might wish to enter into an agreement to protect SSSIs or some other natural conservation area. The suggestion here is that there will be a departure from that practice and that Natural England may start charging for those services. It would be just if the Minister assured us that he will consider the idea that before such charges are made, the Secretary of State should consult those people liable to pay them.