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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the number of nutrient mitigation schemes that were (a) available and (b) in development as of 1 September 2023.

The Government is aware of nutrient mitigation schemes other than the Natural England-led Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. However, the Government recognises that these schemes have not developed rapidly enough in all of the catchments subject to nutrient neutrality advice to unlock much needed new homes. That is why the Government has tabled amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, alongside a wider environmental package, which will reform the retained EU law which gave rise to this barrier. This will ensure that the small amount of new nutrient outflow from housing is offset, while doing more to recover the condition of protected sites impacted by excess nutrients in water.