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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the recruitment process to appoint a new Chair of the Office For Environmental Protection has not yet commenced.

Defra has initiated the internal process for appointing a new Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection, which includes consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, and relevant Select Committees. The competition will be launched shortly.