Wednesday 1st October in the morning found me up before the Committee – the National Assembly Environment and Sustainability Committee to be precise. I was there – with three colleagues from other environmental organisations – to answer questions from Committee members about the written evidence that I had previously submitted from RSPB Cymru concerning the Welsh Government’s draft Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Bill. The Committee comprised Assembly Members (AMs) who have a particular interest in, and knowledge concerning, a whole range of environmental and sustainable development policy matters – not to be taken lightly, therefore! Their role is to scrutinise the Government’s proposed Bill and to report with proposals, having taken into account the written and oral evidence from a cross-section of Welsh organisations.
So, important to be well prepared, not least by trying to foresee the questions I might be asked and preparing possible answers. Our written evidence included a proposal for strengthening biodiversity in the Bill, together with concerns about process, environmental management and delivery. Looking ahead, I was concerned to ensure that the Bill would provide a good framework for sustainability in preparation for the Environment Bill, expected in Spring 2015. I went armed with both the State of Nature report and the newly published Living Planet report the latter which was produced in part by our WWF colleagues, and which told a tale of catastrophic global biodiversity and habitat loss. The four of us had met two days before to share responsibilities concerning who would lead on what issues. This meeting had proved invaluable concerning shared key issues, while each still being able to express respective organisational priorities.
Nevertheless, and notwithstanding this and much other preparation – reading and re-reading the Bill, together with our own evidence and the submissions of many other organisations – I felt uneasy in the days leading up to the 1st, and increasingly nervous in the hours before our appearance in front of the Committee. I had concluded, however, that it is possible to over-prepare for such an event: too many notes could distract from thinking on one’s feet in response to the members’ questions. However, a few notes give reassurance and help to ensure that all points are covered – Ed Miliband take note!
I was very conscious that I would be there to represent the RSPB, and that my ‘performance’ would reflect appropriately on how we are perceived by AMs. Although this would not be my first evidence session before an Assembly committee – and, moreover, I am no stranger to public speaking – this awareness only added to my pre-stage nerves. I dressed for the occasion in a suit and tie, although it always strikes me as odd to ‘dress up’ before speaking to the elected representatives of the people! But I knew that I would cut a poor figure if I turned up in my usual office clothes of t-shirt and shorts.
So, at the appointed hour and right on time, in we went. My Welsh translation headphone didn’t immediately work, so I had to guess what it was that the Welsh-speaking chairman was asking – only that we each identify ourselves! But then we went straight into questions. From previous experience, I have learned that the way to overcome nervousness is to get in early and say something – which I did. Moreover, I waved my copy of the Living Planet Report, answering a question about the global reach of the Bill, and made a point about the seriousness of biodiversity decline alongside the already mentioned issue of climate change. Phew, I had come across well and could sort of relax and enjoy myself!
The questions from members proceded, all of them sensible, constructive and mostly predictable as they delved into the detail of what was in our written evidence.. My big moment came when I was asked directly about the concerns expressed in RSPB’s written submission in relation to the role and membership of the proposed Public Services Boards (PSBs). I was able to talk at some length about our anxieties concerning the inadequate environmental representation on the proposed PSBs, and about the role that the Boards might be called upon to play in delivering natural resources area statements, expected in the forthcoming Environment Bill. Judging by the nodding heads around the Committee table, I felt my concerns and points were shared by many members.
At last our hour with the Committee was up and out we went. All four of us seemed content with how the session had gone, with no faux pas and nothing left unsaid or forgotten. It just remained to be seen to what extent the Committee would express our points in their report, expected late in November.
Now, at last, I could relax and smile!
Keep an eye out for a further blog later next week from me on the content of the Well-being of Future Generations Bill