Committees

Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies

Inquiry

A key responsibility of the EFRA Committee is to scrutinise the policy, spending and administration of Defra and its arms-length bodies. To achieve this, the Committee will hold regular evidence sessions with the Secretary of State, Defra Ministers and senior officials from both the Department and the organisations for which it is responsible. The transcripts of those sessions and related correspondence and written evidence are collected here. 

The Committee will also call for evidence on a regular basis and produce iterative and focused reports on this subject.  

Topics for scrutiny may include, but are not limited to: 

  • the effectiveness of the regulatory landscape, 
  • the capacity of Defra’s regulators to monitor the environment, enforce environmental protections, and take into account other duties, such as those for “growth”,   
  • the project management, deployment and overall delivery of government-funded projects, programmes and initiatives, 
  • services delivered and other direct responsibilities of arms-length bodies, such as environmental permits and management of protected and forested areas, 
  • the accessibility of Defra and its arms-length bodies to citizens, including engagement with local expertise and complaints procedures, 
  • relationships with local government and making devolution work for Defra’s policy areas. 

The Committee will also consider the effectiveness of the machinery of government when it comes to important cross-government issues such as: 

  • climate adaptation and mitigation, 
  • environmental protection, 
  • nature recovery and nature-based solutions to societal problems that are within the remit of other departments, 
  • the impact of trade policy on domestic industry and environmental targets, 
  • impacts on and opportunities for rural and remote communities; particularly the Government’s ‘rural proofing’ policy, 
  • working with local government, 
  • responding to emergency incidents such as flooding and other extreme weather events. 

If you have information or evidence which may be of interest to the Committee, please contact: efracom@parliament.uk.  

 

Upcoming events

View all events

No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 7 July 2026
2:30pm Public
Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies - Oral evidence 7 July 2026
2:30pm
  • Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP (Secretary of State at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • David Hill (Director General for Strategy and Water at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Emily Miles (Director General for Food, Biosecurity and Trade at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Emma Bourne OBE (Director General for EU Reset and Trade at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 30 June 2026
10:00am Public
Oral evidence session 30 June 2026
Biosecurity and animal welfare; Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies - Oral evidence
10:00am
  • Abigail Seager (CEO at Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD))
  • Lea Reynolds (Head of Policy Development and Delivery at Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD))
  • Dr Suzanne Eckford (Head of International Office at Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD))
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Tuesday 28 April 2026
9:30am Private
10:15am Public
Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies - Oral evidence 28 April 2026
10:15am
  • Dame Helen Ghosh, Preferred candidate to become Chair of OEP
The Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House
Tuesday 10 March 2026
9:30am Private
10:00am Public
Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies - Oral evidence 10 March 2026
10:00am
  • Dr Tony Juniper CBE (Chair at Natural England)
  • Marian Spain (Chief Executive at Natural England)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.

  • Email: efracom@parliament.uk
  • Address: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA