Speeches by Gardiner.

“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?”

“It is in consultation at the moment. Are you going to be making representations to that consultation?”

“I am sure she will.”

“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 …”

“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…”

“Finally, I want to ask how you think the land use framework could best support flood resilience.”

“It is.”

“Could we have a debate on Thames Water, which provides water disservices to 20 million people in this country? We now know that the company received from bill payers money that was supposed to be spent on environmental measures such as stopping illegal discharges, and that that money has been used to pay bonuses and di…”

“I have some figures.”

“We need to ensure that people know what their obligations are. We perhaps need to see the enforcement body enforcing them properly where they are not being done, but we also need to be providing the support to farmers and land managers to make sure that they can fulfil their obligations and go further to run their busi…”

“Are you a riparian landowner?”

“That is right. Yes, exactly, the water table. If you could give us the figures for that, that would be very helpful.”