I'm glad to see the issue of Britain's declining bee population has been raised in the corridors of power.

The Public Accounts Committee this week stated that the insects are dying out at an alarming rate.

However, committee chairman Edward Leigh warned that the government has so far done very little to tackle the problem.

Indeed, he said that even though bees are worth £200 million to the UK economy, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has taken minimal interest in their decline.

Mr Leigh said this state of affairs is "difficult to understand", although environment secretary Hilary Benn refuted the suggestion that the government is not doing enough to address the issue.

"Defra is providing financial backing for a £10 million research initiative into pollinator decline, including honey bees, with decisions on projects to be made in the coming months," he commented.

Mr Leigh's comments were welcomed by the British Beekeepers' Association, which described his call for specific funding for honey bee research as "excellent news".

The ecological impact of a reduced bee population could be severe, as the insects' pollination skills make them a vital part of our food chain and we cannot afford to ignore this problem.