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Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her comments. In earlier debates I asked a range of questions on how Natural England would be financed. The Minister has kindly given me some estimates. I asked whether any finance might be provided by the national lottery. If that is the case, I do not think that it is a very good way to run an important non-departmental public body such as Natural England. I would be grateful if the Minister would define a little more clearly how he sees the financial side of this important new non-departmental public body working. As the noble Baroness said, if the Government did not like the tack that Natural England were taking in the future, they could then withdraw or lessen the grant to make its job more difficult. In earlier debates we discussed the likely reduction of money allocated to the Rural Development Service. As we know, that money is in jeopardy. The relevant reduction ranges from some 18 per cent to 40 per cent. If that sizeable reduction occurs, how will Natural England finance itself to do the very job that we are requesting it to do? I support the noble Baroness’s raising of this issue again today. I await the Minister’s response with interest.