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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to fund in full the new area arising from the Environment Act, in particular (a) Local Nature Recovery Strategies and (b) Biodiversity Net Gain.

The Government has committed to funding all new burdens on Local Authorities arising from the Environment Act, including those due to Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Biodiversity Net Gain.

Following the spending review settlement, Defra is working through spending plans for the next three years, including by working closely with local Government organisations to determine the level of additional capacity required to implement the Act effectively.

Further announcements regarding specific funding arrangements will be made in due course.