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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the democratic accountability of (1) Exmoor National Park, and (2) Dartmoor National Park, organisations.

Exmoor National Park and Dartmoor National Park are accountable through their existing systems of governance. The executives of both national park authorities are accountable to their members. Members are balanced between those from local authorities, parish councils, and those appointed by the Secretary of State following open national competition, which is governed by the Cabinet Office’s governance code on public appointments. The majority of members are local authority or parish members, who, while not directly elected to their positions as national park authority members, are elected to represent their local communities as councillors for constituent local authorities, or as parish councillors.