Natural England: Gamebird Release Licensing

Lord Harlech Excerpts

Tuesday 21st July 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Harlech]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Natural England’s approach to gamebird release licensing.

[Lord Harlech (Con)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In so doing, I declare my farming and land management interests as set out in the register.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Baroness Hayman of Ullock) (Lab)]

My Lords, Natural England is the licensing authority for most wildlife management issues in England and has the necessary delegated powers to grant game bird release licences on behalf of the Secretary of State. It has the required expertise, experience and technical management to fully assess the potential impacts of game bird releases, including direct access to specialists in this area.

[Lord Harlech (Con)]

My Lords, I pay tribute to the Minister for her hat-trick of Answers. The former Prime Minister promised to cut quangos and end regulators running riot. Instead, we have more of them, and Natural England has just been found by the High Court to have acted irrationally and beyond its powers. Wales is now heading down the same road, with Natural Resources Wales pursuing a licensing regime that risks ignoring the conservation case for shooting altogether. Does the Minister accept that unaccountable quangos are out of control on both sides of the border? When will the Government match their rhetoric with action?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

Dan Corry did a review of the different arm’s-length bodies in Defra. That report has gone to the board. I have been at meetings where it has been discussed. We are actively looking at how we can make the arm’s-length bodies in Defra much more efficient.