PLANS to reduce the amount of time MPs have to question ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have been attacked.

Anne McIntosh, chairwoman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee, has written to Sir George Young, leader of the House of Commons, expressing her committee’s concerns.

Miss McIntosh, MP for Thirsk and Malton, North Yorkshire, said the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) managed some of the country’s biggest risks, not least flooding and animal disease outbreaks.

She said: “We see no justification for reducing the time available for MPs to put questions on these important subjects and have asked Sir George to explain the rationale behind this decision.”

“Defra oral questions are always over-subscribed and the floor of the House of Commons is the right place to hold Ministers to account,” she added.

“Cutting down oral questions will only weaken scrutiny of the department.

“Defra’s recent change of policy on forestry was not only prompted by the public outcry, but also the intense questioning by MPs of all parties on the floor of the House of Commons.”

The decision to cut the time allocated to Defra questions was made to provide more time for questions to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Attorney General.

However, Defra is the only department to have its MPs’ question time reduced.

Tom Blenkinsop, Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee member, also criticised the decision.

He said it was questions by MPs that uncovered the scale and scope of the now aborted sell-off of Forestry Commission estates.

Mr Blenkinsop said: “Now, as the new independent forestry panel gets under way, the ability to probe its recommendations and quiz ministers on how they will react will be so limited that any real parliamentary input will be negligible.

“It seems that this will be a new Government tactic – if you lose an argument, then muzzle any avenues that might lead to further defeats.”