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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to continue funding National Trails beyond the current financial year.

Discussions between Natural England and the trails partnerships on their future funding settlements are ongoing. These discussions are in the context of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act Committee’s recommendation to move towards a more sustainable funding model in the long term whilst maintaining a high quality experience for the user.