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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the transparency of Natural England's licencing system.

Natural England publishes information on the different types of licences available and how to apply to use them on GOV.UK. Where an application results in a licence not being issued, Natural England will provide the applicant with an explanation for this.

Natural England has an ongoing programme of reviewing and, where appropriate, reforming the licensing system. Detailed reviews (including public consultation) of the general and class licences were undertaken in 2014 and 2008/9.