Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library a copy of the framework agreement between her Department and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Rory Stewart, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs: The Framework document between Defra and Kew is currently in draft. Defra and Kew are working in line with the draft Framework document, which sets out how the bodies work together but is not legally binding. Defra is looking at how it works with its arm’s length bodies and this may inform the finalisation of the document.

| Hansard

11566