Environment Agency Norman Baker To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list (a) the members of the Board of Directors of the Environment Agency and their declared party political affiliations and (b) appointments made to the Board of Directors of the Environment Agency since 1 May 1997 and their declared party political affiliations. [111105] Mr. Meacher The current Board members are: Sir John Harman (Chairman)Barbara Young (Chief Executive)Councillor Colin BeandwoodMr. Ted CantleMr. Andrew Dare CBEMr. John EdmondsProfessor Richard Macrory CBEMr. Gerald Manning OBEProfessor Peter MatthewsProfessor Jacqueline McGladeMs Sara Parkin OBEProfessor Donald RitchieDr. Lyndon StantonMr. Gareth WardellProfessor Lynda WarrenMembers of the Environment Agency's Board are required to complete questions in their application form about political activity, and not their political affiliation unless they are politically active. These application forms are held by my Department, and four reflect political activity at the time of appointment. Sir John Harman has declared his affiliation to the Labour Party, but resigned his party political positions after being appointed as Chairman of the Agency's Board. In her application for the post of Chief Executive, which carries with it automatic membership of the Board, Baroness Young listed her position as working Labour peer, but she resigned the Whip upon her appointment. John Edmonds has declared membership of the Labour Party National Policy Forum and Commission, and Councillor Colin Beardwood has declared that he is a member of the Labour Party and serves on Worcestershire County Council and West Midlands Regional Chamber.Gareth Wardell, who was the Labour MP for Gower until May 1997, was appointed by the then Secretary of State for Wales.No other Board member who has been appointed since 1 May 1997 has declared any party political activity. The only appointments made to the Board since 1 May 1997, excluding the above, were Mr. Alan Dalton and Mr Chris Hampson, the latter on his appointment as Deputy Chair of the Board. They have completed their appointments and are no longer on the Board. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Consent reference number|Consent holder and crop |Nearest village, town or parish | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |99/R21/6 |Novartis Seeds Ltd |Stone, Worcestershire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |(now Syngenta) |Ramsey, Cambridgeshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Fodder beet |Bradenham, Narfolk | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Raynham,Norfolk | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Banham, Norfolk | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |00/R33/6 |Aventis CropScience UK Ltd |Bramham, North Yorks | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |(now Bayer CropScience UK Ltd) |Shellingford, Oxon | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Oilseed rape |Thorganby, Lincolnshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Sand Hutton, North Yorks | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Meden Vale, Notts | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Felton, Herefordshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Melbourn, Cambrifgeshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Piccots End, Hertfordshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Banham, Norfolk | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |01/R8/4 |IACR Rothamsted |Harpenden, Hertfordshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |(now Rothamsted Research) Wheat | || ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |01/R29/3 |John Innes Centre Barley |Colney, Norfolk | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |02/R4/12 |Advanced Technologies (Cambridge) Ltd. Potato|Thornhaugh, Peterborough | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |02/R36/01 |IACR-Long Ashton |Harpenden, Hertfordshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |(now Rothamsted Research) Wheat | || ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |01/R33/11 |Aventis CropScience Ltd. |Little Bolligton, Cheshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |(now Bayer CropScience Ltd.) |Great Moulton, Norfolk | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Oilseed rape |Alveston/Loxley, Warks | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Farm Scale evaluations |Piccotts End, Hertfordshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Bincombe, Dorset | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Narfferton, East Riding of Yorks | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Burdon, Tyne and Wear | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Oakenshaw, Durham | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Hinton Waldrist,Oxon | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Smarden, Kent | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Throganby, Lincolnshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Burgh on Bain, Lincolnshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Bagley, Shropshire | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Kilnwick Percy, East Riding of Yorks| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Laxton, East Riding of Yorks | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | |Lowthorpe, East Riding of Yorks | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------