Member

The private sector has a role and could work in tandem with Natural England, but warm words mean nothing unless they are committed to law. The Bill needs to explicitly state that the private sector has a role to play and, importantly, that Natural England has a statutory duty to assist competition in this space, even if it is against its own narrow self-interest. Amendment 182A talks about provision of guidance and, even at this late stage, I invite the Minister to explain the nature of the guidance that might be implemented for the encouragement of private industry, with the regulatory guard-rails, and the need to encourage Natural England to help rather than hinder private delivery in this space.