Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the public appointment advertisement for Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, published on 19 December 2024, for what reasons equality, diversity and inclusion are listed as a desirable criteria for this position.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are a priority for this Government, as they were under the last. Defra wants Kew’s Board to continue to have skills in those areas, in order for Kew to effectively implement their ten-year Manifesto for Change, which was launched in 2021. For example, one aim of the ten-year plan is to increase the number of visitors to Kew from under-represented communities whilst another is to train the next generation of plant experts, attracting a wide range of people to a career working in and with nature.