Day 075 - 17 Jan 95 - Page 04

     
     1        parliament to grant aid organisations or an organisation
     2        which it believes to be helpful to it in its duties to
     3        reduce environment/index.html">litter.  It has over time seen fit to use, first of
     4        all, the Keep Britain Tidy Group and now the Tidy Britain
     5        Group for that purpose.  It is the only agency which it
     6        recognises at this present time in that way.
     7
     8   Q.   Does recognition involve the payment of money to your group
     9        by the government?
    10        A.  The group is grant aided, yes.
    11
    12   Q.   By how much, what sum annually?
    13        A.  It varies but the most recent figures have been just a
    14        little short of £3 million per annum.
    15
    16   Q.   Is there any sense in which that funding by the government
    17        means that the TBG is a creature, a pawn, of government?
    18        A.  No, the Tidy Britain Group is governed, it is a
    19        charity, and it is governed by a Council and the day-to-day
    20        administration is discharged by that Council to me, but the
         organisation remains independent and I believe is valued by
    22        government for that reason.  There are times when it is
    23        necessary to emphasise the fact that it is independent both
    24        in conversations with the media and others, but it is
    25        independent.
    26
    27   Q.   So are we even entitled to describe it as a quango?
    28        A.  Not at all.
    29
    30   Q.   Not at all.  You mentioned the Environmental Protection
    31        Act, the Environmental Protection Act of 1990, did your
    32        group have any input into the drafting of that piece of
    33        legislation?
    34        A.  We had considerable input in the development and
    35        drafting of section 4 of the Environmental Protection Act.
    36
    37   Q.   Strictly speaking, part 4, I think?
    38        A.  Part 4.
    39
    40   Q.   Which is the one which deals, largely speaking, with
         environment/index.html">litter, does it not?
    42        A.  Yes.
    43
    44   Q.   How many people does the TBG employ?
    45        A.  Just over 100.
    46
    47   Q.   Does it get any support or funds from anyone other than
    48        government?
    49        A.  Yes, it receives support in three ways:  It frequently
    50        receives fees by virtue of consultancy work that it does 
    51        for local authorities, private business and so on; it 
    52        receives direct gifts from individuals and also from 
    53        private sector companies and it receives substantial
    54        support in kind from both public and private sector
    55        organisations.
    56
    57   Q.   May I pass up a leaflet?  My Lord, this is Litter and The
    58        Law.  (Same handed)
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.  Is your Director General-ship, to all