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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply from Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 21 June 2021 (HL Deb, col 116), what progress they have made in identifying how they will objectively measure their performance in improving access to nature.

As set out in the response given by My Rt Hon Friend, Lord Goldsmith, the Government recognises the current evidence demonstrating the benefits of engaging with nature for people’s physical and mental health and the benefits a long-term target would have.

However, further evidence is needed to support the establishment of any such target. Initial scoping work has already been undertaken on possible metrics, but further development is needed. This work is ongoing.

Natural England’s England-wide map of green infrastructure will be launched in December as part of the emerging National Framework of Green Infrastructure Standards. This includes mapping of accessible natural greenspace which will help identify priorities for creation and enhancement, including to address inequalities in access to greenspace.