MPs on the House of Commons Select Committee for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have given their formal approval to the appointment of Philip Dilley as Chair of the Environment Agency, following a pre-appointment hearing to question him.

The post of Chair of the Environment Agency is one of the positions to which the procedure for pre-appointment Parliamentary scrutiny applies. Pre-appointment hearings are non-binding but Ministers will consider the committee's views before deciding whether to proceed with an appointment. 

The now-departed Environment Minister Owen Paterson MP, wrote to the Committee in June to indicate that Mr. Dilley had been identified as the preferred candidate for the post of Chair of the Environment Agency.

During the hearing the MPs sought his initial views on issues relating to the Environment Agency, including its response to last winter’s flood events, the balance of maintenance and capital spending and the implementation of plans to work more closely with Natural England.

Potential applicants for the role were provided with detailed background information on the current status of the Agency, which explained:

“This is a dynamic period for the Environment Agency and a significant challenge will be to deliver the Environment Agency’s priorities within a tight fiscal period. Supporting the executive team to prioritise resources and drive forward further efficiencies will be key to delivering the best value to the tax payer…. The Environment Agency is going through a period of substantial reform. Strong leadership in the context of change and transition will be essential while maintaining a clear focus and ensuring business continuity across a range of areas. You will also implement the conclusions of the joint Triennial Review of the Environment Agency and Natural England. This will involve in particular delivering a joint plan for driving further integration between the two bodies…”

"Defra should explain why salary increase from £60K to £100K was necessary" 

The MPs have however separately questioned aspects of the recruitment process which opened on 17 December 2013. The post was initially advertised at £60,632 based on 2 days per week and Defra’s  retained recruitment consultants, GatenbySanderson were also asked to search for candidates.

The closing date was then extended twice to “maximise the strength and diversity of the field” and re-advertised with a salary of £100,000 and a time requirement of 2 to 3 days per week. The advert finally closed on 5 March 2014 and 59 applications in total were received.

The MPs’ report of the pre-appointment hearing states:

“Defra should explain why it was felt necessary, during the recruitment period for the post of Chair of the Environment Agency, to extend the time commitment required from two days a week to two-to-three days a week, and to raise the salary offered from £60,632 to £100,000.”

Mr. Dilley was until recently the Executive Chairman of Arup, a trust-owned global planning, engineering, and project management consulting group with fee revenues in excess of £1 billion and more than 11,000 staff members.

The Environment Agency now has around 10,600 employees and is responsible for a budget of about £1 billion pa, about half of which is spent on flood and coastal risk management.