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 Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal and River Trust, HCWS924, whether her Department has made an assessment of the the ability of the Canal and River Trust to meet its objectives through her Department's funding between 2027 and 2037.
Following the 10 July announcement of the future Government grant funding settlement for the Canal and River Trust (C&RT) from 2027 to 2037, Defra officials will be engaging with the C&RT in the coming months to agree appropriate monitoring arrangements in relation to a range of Government policy objectives.
The very substantial £401 million of new grant funding for the C&RT between 2027 and 2037 will provide the C&RT with certainty about the level of Government grant funding for its future business planning over the next three years or so, and continue to support the C&RT to maintain its canal network.