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 Fifth Special Report of Session 2022-23 of the Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Species Reintroduction: Government response to the Committee's Fifth Report, published on 27 October 2023, HC 1931, on what criteria her Department decides when it is appropriate to support the reintroduction of recently lost former native species.

The reintroduction of any species in England should follow our published guidance and Code for Reintroductions, which provides the best practice for assessing the benefits and impacts of releasing a species into the wild. The appropriateness of a reintroduction proposal will be highly dependent on the specific circumstances in which it is made, for example the surrounding environmental conditions, socio-economic circumstances, or species already present in that location. As such, Natural England assess applications for release licences on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that any applications align to the Code.