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

To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms exist to hold the Canal and River Trust accountable where the Trust fails to fulfil its statutory duties.

The Canal and River Trust’s statutory duties arise from various Acts of Parliament. As an independent charity, the Trust has its own internal governance structures to ensure that its performance is managed and scrutinised appropriately.

The Trust provides support to the Government in responding to Parliamentary and intra-Governmental questions and requests for information relating to its statutory duties. Parliamentarians may write directly to the Chair of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Chief Executive, or other Directors about its activities. The Trust is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to its statutory functions, and it also maintains an information regime that mirrors the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. The Trust also publishes information on its activities to ensure public and stakeholder accountability, under the terms of the Government grant funding agreement.

The Charity Commission has oversight of the Trust, and it is also open to anyone to bring a case where they consider there is evidence of failure to carry out statutory duties.