Member

The Forestry Commission already takes its environmental and climate responsibilities seriously, as the Minister has highlighted, and these are intrinsic to its existing functions. However, if there is to be a review, we would welcome consideration of the potential for conflicts within the Forestry Commission’s existing structure, in particular regarding its role as a competitor to private forests, as the regulator and as the grant awarder. That role occasionally brings the potential for conflicts and would be worth some further attention. I look forward to working with the noble Earl and all noble Lords who have signed this amendment in order to seek consensus on how the proposal to review the 1967 Act should go forward.