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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current level of financial support they provide to the Woodland Trust and its tree planting programme, and whether they have any plans to increase that support over the next four years.

In the last financial year, the Government provided £55,338.12 to the Woodland Trust, to plant 35,400 trees with state primary schools across England in spring 2016. This support will increase over the next four years, as we expand the programme to fund the Woodland Trust to provide an additional 400,000 trees for schools for schoolchildren to plant in school grounds and local communities.

The Woodland Trust can apply for grants under the Countryside Stewardship scheme, as part of the Rural Development Programme, in the same way as any other land owner or manager and it receives grants from previous support mechanisms.