The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is introducing a range of bills announced in the Queen's Speech.

Marine Bill

The Draft Marine Bill outlines a new system which would be used for planning and managing activities and developments in coastal waters.

There will also be more scope to protect and restore marine wildlife and environmental legislation will be updated.

Environmental organisations have called on the government to move quickly to bring forward a full Marine Bill in the next session of parliament.

Ben Stafford, chairman of Wildlife and Countryside Link’s marine campaign, said: "We are pleased to see the inclusion of this draft bill pledge in the government’s programme, and we will be campaigning to ensure that the bill makes better protection of marine wildlife a priority."

And he went on: "What is vitally important now is that the government presses ahead quickly with this draft bill, so that a full bill can be introduced at the earliest opportunity.

"Britain’s rich marine wildlife has been damaged through years of neglect, over-exploitation and inappropriate development.  There is now an opportunity to make real change, and ministers must seize it."

Natural Environment

The Natural Environment Bill would introduce a new umbrella agency, Natural England, will be established by January 2007. 

A Commission for Rural Communities will be established to give a voice to people in rural areas, the secretary of state will be given more flexibility to allocate funding  to bodies who can work under Defra's remit and wildlife and national park legislation will be streamlined.

The T&G has welcomed the identification of disadvantage in rural communities as an issue in the Queen's Speech.

Chris Kaufman, secretary for the Transport and General Workers Union, said: "Rural areas have seen a decline in basic services like transport, post offices, housing and social services.

"At the same time we have seen major changes to farming and subsidies which will make our deliberations with the farm employers over pay and skills even more important this year."

And Kaufman said the proposed Commission for Rural Communities would be a good move if it addressed the whole range of services.

"If the new commission moves us on to address the issues our members have always raised about basic services and the future of skills in farming and food production that will be a significant development," he said.

Common Land

Updated legislation under a Common Land Bill will allow commons to be managed by landowners and the public working together.

The land will be given more protection from over-grazing, abuse, and development, and wildlife habitats will also get protection.

"Missed" commons will be registered to improve public access and the systems which controls barriers and fences will be streamlined.

Animal Welfare

An Animal Welfare Bill will include preventative action to reduce animal suffering.

A new duty will be introduced, in addition to secondary legislation, to encourage people who are responsible for animals in any capacity, to safeguard their welfare. 

And strengthened penalties and less loopholes in the legal system will aim to deter persistent offenders of animal abuse.

But Liberal Democrat environment spokesman, Norman Baker, has criticised the legislation outlined under Defra for not including any measures to tackle climate change.

"The prime minister has said that climate change is the biggest threat faced by the world, but measures to tackle it did not feature in his election campaign and it is now absent from the government's legislative programme," Baker said.

"Yet again Tony Blair appears more interested in rhetoric about climate change than real action."