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

To ask His Majesty's Government what meetings they have had with the Canal and River Trust since April.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Senior Defra officials and the Canal and River Trust’s Executive management team hold three formal meetings a year, usually in April/May, August/September, and December. Additionally, working level meetings between Defra officials and the Trust are held as necessary.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans ministers have to meet the newly appointed chief executive of the Canal and River Trust, Campbell Robb.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government looks forward to working with the new Chief Executive once he has taken up the post in October.

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.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

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.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether ministers undertake regular assessments of the Canal and River Trust's effectiveness in fulfilling their statutory duties.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Senior Defra officials meet the Canal and River Trust’s executive management team formally three times a year at which a range of issues are discussed, including operational matters relating to statutory duties as appropriate. The minutes of the meetings are published on the Trust’s website. Additionally, working level meetings between Defra officials and the Trust are held as necessary.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the harm to wildlife caused by litter on urban canal towpaths.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government has not made an assessment of the harm to wildlife caused by litter on urban canal towpaths.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Canal and River Trust's decision to remove litter bins from canal towpaths on the effective management of litter on land owned by the Canal and River Trust.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As an independent charity, the Canal and River Trust is responsible for operational matters on its waterways and land owned by it, including litter management.

Under section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Trust has a duty to keep the land it is responsible for clear of litter and refuse. It is for the Trust to work out how best to comply with the duty, considering the standards set out in statutory Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. The Trust also has a responsibility to remove litter and fly-tipping in its canals where it would interfere with navigation.

Found: acoba.gov.uk Website: http://www.gov.uk/acoba August 2025 BUSINESS APPOINTMENT APPLICATION: Lord Evans of Rainow