Andrew Tyrie, the former Chair of the Treasury Select Committee and Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards has today taken up his role as the new Chair of the UK’s independent competition authority, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The CMA is the UK’s independent competition authority with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law, with the aim of making markets work well for consumers, businesses and the economy.

Andrew Tyrie, Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, said:

First, I would like to thank David Currie for the huge contribution he has made to establishing the CMA as an effective new regulator.

Secondly, as I said in April, competition can and should be put even closer to the centre of British economic life, reaching to every sector, rooting out monopoly and unfair trading practices. By doing so the CMA can benefit millions of people and also play a crucial role in enhancing Britain’s global competitiveness. I am looking forward to getting started.

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark said:

The CMA has a vital role to play in promoting competition and making markets work for consumers, businesses and the economy and I have no doubt Andrew Tyrie will make good use of his experience to help further its position as a world-respected regulatory and enforcement body.

Andrew is an internationally recognised champion for consumers and competition, with an unblemished record of independence as a Select Committee Chair which makes him a perfect fit for this position. He is taking the role at a critical moment in the CMA’s history and I look forward to working closely with him in years to come.

Outgoing CMA Chair David Currie said:

I am proud of what the CMA has achieved in my time as its Chairman. The organisation is working well as a single competition and consumer body for the UK, securing lasting change across a wide range of markets that really matter to millions of households and businesses. I am confident that Andrew and the CMA’s staff can successfully take the organisation into the next phase of its development.

Andrea Coscelli, CEO of the CMA, said:

I look forward to working with Andrew over the crucial period ahead. His distinguished background and strong reputation will bolster our impact as we build on our work to drive a fair deal for consumers across all nations and regions of the UK, including for the most vulnerable in society.

Prior to taking on this role, Andrew served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on banking standards, whose recommendations for the reform of governance in major financial institutions are currently being implemented. He was also Chairman of the Liaison Committee, the committee of select committee chairs, and Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee from 2010 to 2017. He was conservative MP for Chichester from 1997 to 2017.

Andrew also has experience in finance and commerce, including board roles in investment management and property firms, and as an advisor to the law firm DLA Piper.

Today’s appointment follows a pre-appointment hearing by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee on 24 April.

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove has appointed two new members to the Natural Capital Committee.

Professors Melanie Austen and Chris Collins bring their expertise in marine conservation and soil health and are appointed for the remainder of the Committee’s current term, through to December 2020.

Professor Austen said:

The Natural Capital Committee has been influential in advising government on the importance of natural capital on sustainable economic growth, health and wellbeing.

I feel honoured to have been invited to join the Committee and am particularly looking forward to adding a distinctly marine perspective, and considering how implementation of the 25 year Environment Plan could improve our natural marine environment and the sustainable benefits that we gain from it.

Professor Austen is a marine ecologist and interdisciplinary marine researcher who is a Head of Science for the Sea and Society group at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. She has recently been appointed as an independent member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC); completed a three year term as the Chief Scientific Advisor to the UK’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO); and for the last twenty years has been developing and leading UK and EU funded collaborative marine research projects, including currently GCRF Blue Communities in South East Asia.

Through her interdisciplinary research she has examined and quantified the societal consequences and policy relevance of changes to the marine environment and its ecosystems. She has been an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter medical school since 2014, a member of other Expert Advisory Groups, and has chaired an EU Marine Board expert group on ecosystem valuation.

Professor Chris Collins is Chair of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Reading, where his research focuses on determining the factors controlling exposure of biota to environmental pollution to develop the evidence base for regulators.

He is the Natural Environment Research Council Soils Coordinator, overseeing a £10 million research investment to improve our understanding of how soils resist, recover and adapt to land use and climate change. Professor Collins chairs the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee providing expert advice to the UK Government on how to protect the environment, and human health via the environment from chemicals.

Professor Collins said:

Soils have been a bit of a Cinderella topic when compared to air and water, so to restate the commitment to manage soils sustainably by 2030 in the 25 Year Environment Plan was a major step forward. Serving on the Committee will help to ensure we develop the approaches to deliver this aspiration.

Professor Dieter Helm, Chair of the Natural Capital Committee, commented:

Melanie and Chris bring world-leading expertise. They will strengthen the Committee’s ability to support implementation of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan at a vital time for the protection and enhancement of our natural environment.

Other members of the Committee include Professors Ian Bateman, Diane Coyle, Paul Leinster, Colin Mayer and Kathy Willis. Dame Georgina Mace recently left the Committee to take up a position on the Adaptation Sub Committee of the Committee on Climate Change.

Local anglers at Wedgwood pools had been concerned that a number of Cormorants and Goosanders were eating the fish and leaving very little behind. The birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it was up to the Environment Agency to step in and protect the fish.

Last week saw the completion of 2 fish refuge ‘floating islands’ at Wedgwood pools, Barleston, Stoke on Trent. The islands allow fish cover from the birds, through the use of cages beneath the islands, allowing fish to swim in but not the birds.

Environment Agency Fisheries Technical Officer, Mick Buxton said:

This has been a really worthwhile project to be involved in. The Cormorants and Goosanders are having a significant impact on the recruitment of fish, so by introducing these islands, the fish have a greater opportunity to thrive.

There is a secondary benefit from the project too. The plants on the island will also help improve the water quality of the pool, because the plants feed off nutrients in the water and this reduces the risk of algal blooms. The floating islands project was funded through the Fisheries Improvement Program, were the money is collected from anglers through rod licence sales.

An annual fishing licence costs just £30 and now lasts for 12 months from the day you buy it. Money from fishing licence sales is invested in England’s fisheries and is used to fund a wide range of projects to improve facilities for anglers including protecting stocks from illegal fishing, pollution and disease, restoring fish stocks through re-stocking, eradicating invasive species, and fish habitat improvements. Fishing licence money is also used to fund the Angling Trust to provide information about fishing, to encourage participation in the sport and to manage a voluntary bailiff scheme.

Children under 13 fish for free. Anyone aged 13 to 16 also fish for free, but do need to have a valid Environment Agency fishing licence. Anyone over 16 must pay for an Environment Agency fishing licence to fish for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel in England.

More information on fisheries and fishing licences, including how to buy your rod licence is available online.