Matthew attended the first event of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Bees in the House of Commons. This was a debate between representatives of the National Farmers Union and Friends of the Earth. Having been a member of the House of Common's Environmental Audit Select committee in the last Parliament, Matthew is acutely aware of the issues surrounding the use of neonicotinoids. In 2013, the Committee published its report on the issue http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenvaud/668… Matthew commented: “Many of the issues highlighted in the report remain, particularly that of a lack of transparency in the research conducted by the chemical industry, the noticeable reduction in all invertebrates - not just bees - as a result of the Varroa Beatle, the range of conditions that may produce a decline in the bee population such as climate change, development, loss of bio-diversity - and the use of pesticides. "As a rule of thumb, two-thirds of the species of pollinator are declining. Where there is data that is the situation — two-thirds are declining. So, 66% of larger moth species in the countryside, including species such as the Hedge Rustic, are declining. Most of the bumblebees are declining and six species have declined by at least 80% in recent years. Where change is detectable in the data, 66% of hoverflies are declining, 71% of butterfly species are declining.” Pesticides are tightly regulated, and decisions on the approval of these substances are made at the European level. Since December 2013, three of the five currently approved neonicotinoids are not permitted for use on a wide range of crops considered attractive to bees. The Government has implemented these restrictions in full. They are not time-limited, and will remain in place unless the European Commission decides to change them. The European Food Safety Authority has begun a review of the science relating to neonicotinoids and bees, which is expected to conclude in the summer. This includes looking at the effects on bees caused by seed treatments, and uses of the restricted pesticides in the form of granules. The Government has said that it will contribute fully to this review, because any decisions must be based on solid evidence. Matthew said: “The Government has assured me that restrictions on neonicotinoids will not be removed if the evidence shows that they should remain.”