Introduction

The Mission Statement of the Environment Agency is:

'better environment in England and Wales for present and future generations.'

The Environment Agency for England and Wales was established under the Environment Act, 1995 and brings together the functions previously carried out by the National Rivers Authority (NRA), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP), the waste regulatory functions of 83 local authorities and a number of small units from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The Agency has statutory responsibilities in England and Wales for pollution prevention and control, flood defence, water resources, fisheries, conservation, navigation and water-based recreation.

The Agency's principal sponsor in Government is the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions but it also has important policy links with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and with the Welsh Office. In 1997/98 about 27% of Agency funding will be provided by Government grants, the other 73% being raised through charges and levies.

Achievements in 1996/97

The Agency successfully established itself and produced its first State of the Environment Report. It agreed a 4 year efficiency improvement programme to deliver savings of £40m and embarked on a restructuring process to meet three key objectives: environmental improvement; better customer service and increased efficiency.

• The NRA's Charter Mark was carried forward into the Agency for its water management functions. The Agency has published its Customer Charter and Standards of Service for consultation and a revised Charter will be published in summer 1997.

• The Agency was successful in carrying forward the ISO 9001 certified system for those parts of its business previously undertaken by HMIP.

• Potential PFI projects have been identified in flood defence and other areas and these will be taken forward in 1997/98.

• The Agency aims to reach the standard of training planning and delivery with IiP demands. One former NRA region which had previously attained the standard is currently being re-assessed. The Environment Agency intends to submit further applications after a series of improvement programmes has been completed.

• In order to ensure compliance with proposals in Section 5 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 aimed at delivering more business-friendly enforcement, the Agency consulted on and implemented an interim Enforcement Code of Practice. The Agency has regular liaison meetings with representatives of the Deregulation Task Force.

• To improve access and communications for customers, the Agency introduced a local call rate General Enquiries line and established an EcoFacts fax-back service providing information 24 hours a day. In a pilot scheme, dedicated Customer Service Centres have been established in the South West and Welsh regions to develop innovative and improved ways of delivering customer services.

Further details of the Agency's performance will be published in its Annual Report and Accounts, in September 1997.

Plans for 1997/98

The Agency will:

• finalise and implement its restructuring proposals;

• implement plans to deliver savings of £8m and 150 jobs; and

• deliver a wide variety of local environmental improvements in partnership with land owners, industry, local authorities, environmental groups and other bodies.

Key Performance Targets

The Agency was successfully established in 1996/97. Targets for 1997/98 are under discussion with the Government and will be published later in the year in its Corporate Plan.