Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the minutes of the Natural England Board Meeting of 30 July, in which the Chief Executive noted that nutrient mitigation risks remain significant, what the nature of those risks is; whether they are financial or environmental; and if he will publish any documents held by Natural England that clarify the nature of those risks.

The nutrient mitigation risk being referred to by our Chief Executive as referenced in the Board minutes of 30 July 2025, concerns the inherent uncertainties in predicting future mitigation demand from development and the costs of securing appropriate mitigation from third party suppliers within the financial modelling for the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. Natural England has continued to work with central government to ensure we have the right skills and capacity to undertake financial modelling work of this kind.