Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Background
Defra's website states its three main objectives as: 'Secure a healthy natural environment for us all and deal with environmental risks; promote a sustainable, low-carbon and resource-efficient economy; ensure a thriving farming sector and a sustainable, healthy and secure food supply'.[1]
People
Updated October 2017
Ministers
- Michael Gove MP - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from June 2017
- George Eustice MP - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food since May 2015; and Defra minister for farming, food and marine environment since October 2013; former Portland Communications associate director (c2009).
- Thérèse Coffey MP - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment from July 2016
- John Gardiner, Lord Gardiner of Kimble - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity from June 2017; Defra minister from July 2016.
Previous Ministers
- Elizabeth Truss MP - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2014 to 2016
- Owen Paterson MP - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2012 to 2014
- Lord de Mauley - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for natural environment and science
- Rory Stewart MP - Parliamentary Under Secretary from 2015
- Dan Rogerson MP - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for water, forestry, rural affairs and resource management 2013-2015
Special advisers
- James Starkie - former Portland Communications associate director and ex-head of regional press for the Vote Leave campaign[2]
- Henry Cook - formerly of Portland Communications.
Previous special advisers
- Emma Boon - spad to Liz Truss since July 2015. Former campaign director and campaign manager of the Taxpayers' Alliance, journalist and lobbyist at the Brunswick Group.
- Guy Robinson - spad to Liz Truss and her predecessor Owen Paterson since 2012. Former lobbyist at Crosby Textor Fullbrook.
Management
- Clare Moriarty, Permanent Secretary
- Professor Ian Boyd, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser
- Betsy Bassis, Director General, Chief Operating Officer
- Nick Joicey, Director General for Strategy, EU exit and Finance
- David Kennedy, Director General for Food, Farming and Biosecurity
- Sonia Phippard, Director General for Marine, Natural Environment and Rural
- Emma Howard Boyd, Ex officio Defra board member
- Andrew Sells, Ex officio Defra board member
- Steve Holliday, Non-executive board member
- Peter Bonfield, Non-executive board member
- Catherine Doran, Non-executive board member
- Paul Rew, Non-executive board member
Previous management
- Bronwyn Hill CBE, Permanent Secretary
- Professor Ian Boyd, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser
- Alastair Bridges, Finance Director
- Nick Joicey, Director General, Strategy, International and Biosecurity
- Betsy Bassis, Director General, Chief Operating Officer
- Sonia Phippard, Director General, Policy Delivery Group
- Catherine Doran, Non-executive board member
- Iain Ferguson, Non-executive board member
- Sir Tony Hawkhead CBE, Non-executive board member
- Paul Rew, Non-executive board member
- Helen Ghosh Permanent Secretary, Chair of Management Board
- Bill Stow Director General, Strategy and Evidence Group
- Katrina Williams Director General, Food and Farming Group
- Gill Aitken Solicitor and Director General, Legal Services
- Peter Unwin Director General, Natural Environment Group
- Ian Watt Director General, Finance and Commercial
- Professor Robert Watson Chief Scientific Adviser
Chief Scientific Adviser
- Professor Ian Boyd [3]
- Sir Robert Watson FRS
Press and comms staff
- Oliver Claydon, press officer for Defra, previously worked for PR and lobbying firm Bell Pottinger Private and as a communications secondee to top legal firm Berwin Leighton Paisner [4]
Department organogram
Accessible at: http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?dept=defra&post=1 Shows grade and pay of key staff.
Consultancies
In 2012-13 law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was ranked second out of the top 10 consultancies used by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which paid FBD £587,922 in 2012-13. [5]
Contact details, Resources, Notes
Contact
- Address: Defra, Customer Contact Unit, Eastbury House, 30 - 34 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TL
- Contact Defra's Ministers: Defra, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR,
- Phone: 08459 33 55 77
- Fax: Customer Contact Unit 020 7238 2188
- Website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/
External Resources
Notes
- ↑ The Defra website What do we do - our objectives in detail, Defra, 19 December 2008, accessed 11th February 2009
- ↑ Michael Gove signs up yet another special adviser from Portland, Public Affairs News, 27 September 2017
- ↑ Defra Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Ian Boyd, DEFRA, acc 27 May 2014
- ↑ Oliver Claydon, LinkedIn profile, accessed 28 October 2014
- ↑ Consultants, Written Answers, Commons Debates, Hansard, undated, Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which 10 consultancy firms were paid the most by his Department in the last financial year; and how much each of those firms was paid. [195574]
