SUMMARY

  The Environment Agency welcomes the opportunity to present evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. We are not in a position to comment on all the points that the Committee is inquiring into. Our evidence concentrates on:

—  the role of RCIs in supporting evidence-based policy making; and

—  our relationship with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and its current reorganisation.

1.  INTRODUCTION

  The Environment Agency has an interest in this inquiry as we rely on the national science-base to provide high quality, timely scientific evidence to support our regulatory role. The RCIs are an important source of expertise and we are keen to ensure that national capacity to deliver such evidence is maintained and enhanced.

2.  RESPONSE TO THE INQUIRY

  2.1  The Environment Agency is an evidence-based organisation. Much of this evidence comes from research and we look to the Research Councils and the RCIs to provide high quality science that is fit for this purpose. To ensure that the RCIs can deliver this we believe there must be adequate end-user representation on the Councils, their decision-making boards and RCI steering groups. There should be recognition of this policy support role throughout the system to ensure it sits equally alongside the more traditional measures of academic excellence when decisions are made.

  2.2  The Environment Agency is an end-user of the science that is carried out in RCIs. In particular, we have long-standing links to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH). We work with the CEH in a number of ways. We access their existing knowledge and research to provide expert advice; we collaborate with them on projects of mutual interest and we use them as a contractor to deliver our own research projects. We are therefore keen to ensure that the CEH that comes out of the current reorganisation has the capacity to deliver the expertise and services that we need in order to support the delivery of our regulatory responsibilities.

  2.3  The Natural Environment Research Council consulted us on the reorganisation and we made the above point. Since then, the Environment Agency's Science management team has met with the CEH programme directors. The directors were able to provide reassurances over the delivery of existing contracts together with a provisional timetable for the reorganisation. The meeting also considered the potential for collaboration between the two organisations and we were pleased that CEH were willing to listen to suggestions that would help align their future research programmes with our needs. Obviously we need to be kept informed of the progress and the plans for the new CEH to ensure that our own programme of work is not adversely affected by the reorganisation. We are also developing a framework agreement to make it straightforward for us to work with them as collaborator or contractor in the future.

  2.4  CEH's long experience on a wide range of research topics makes them uniquely able to undertake the type of applied research on which the Environment Agency relies. For example, CEH is supporting the freshwater science necessary to meet our legislative and policy drivers under the Water Framework Directive. Similarly, CEH are the independent auditors of the Environment Agency's freshwater invertebrate analysis. CEH are able to fulfil this role, as long-term investment in staff and facilitates has enabled them to build up and maintain the relevant expertise. They have also played an important role in developing future generations of scientists through placements and work experience opportunities. If our experience with CEH is typical of the rest of the RCI's then they play a vital role ensuring the continuity of the UK's capacity across a wide range of scientific disciplines.

  2.5  A research institute such as CEH plays a vital role in long term environmental monitoring, which underpins the examples cited above. If they were not there to perform this role it is not clear to us who would do it. Loss of long-term monitoring could have significant consequences to the wider research and policy communities. Equally important is the ability to place the monitoring data in context through experimental work and to integrate data from different sources to produce a holistic view of the environment. This last point is of particular importance to the Environment Agency. We would like to see this role strengthened in the future to ensure that we can make the most of our collaborative working with CEH.

3.  CONCLUSIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS

  By presenting the above evidence we wish to draw the Committee's attention to the important role that the RCIs play in supporting end-user needs. In doing this we would like to ensure that the Research Councils continue to recognise and support this role.

May 2006