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

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the status of the next DEFRA stakeholder engagement survey; whether it will cover access to nature and outdoor recreation; and if not, why not.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The annual stakeholder engagement survey is now closed, and the results are currently being reviewed. The survey covers issues across the Defra brief, including nature and outdoor recreation.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, following reporting from the BBC in January 2024 that investigators had found 32,000 blockages on public rights of way, whether they will take action to remove obstructions preventing the public from using such ways.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Local highway authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of public rights of way, including ensuring that they are free from obstructions and available for public use. They have statutory duties to assert and protect the public’s right to use these routes and to take action where obstructions are identified.

Each authority is also required to prepare and maintain a Rights of Way Improvement Plan, which assesses the condition of the local network and sets out how it will be improved for all users. These plans are publicly available on the relevant authority’s website.

Local authorities are best placed to determine local priorities and allocate resources accordingly, taking account of the needs of their communities and the condition of the rights of way in their area. The Government continues to provide local authorities with funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement, and it is for them to decide how best to use this funding, including for maintaining and improving public rights of way.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what legislative vehicle they will use to implement their commitment, announced on 26 December 2024, to repeal the 2031 deadline for recording historic rights of way.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have announced our intention to remove the 2031 cut-off date for the recording of historic rights of way, to support and enhance public access to nature. Removing this deadline will ensure that historic routes valued by communities can continue to be identified and protected for future generations.

This repeal will require primary legislation, and we will bring forward the necessary provisions when parliamentary time allows.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish detailed allocations for public access funding for 2025–26 and subsequent financial years; and how these will support delivery of commitments to expand public enjoyment of the natural environment.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure that this access is safe and appropriate. We are committed to increasing access to nature and have already set out several ambitious manifesto commitments to expand opportunities for the public to enjoy the outdoors, including the creation of nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England.

While we are unable to publish funding allocations for future years, we continue to invest significantly in improving access to nature across the country. For example, our four-year £33 million Access for All programme has supported a targeted package of measures across our Protected Landscapes, National Trails, Forestry England sites and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive. In 2025–26, £17.06 million was allocated to this programme. This funding has supported practical improvements such as resurfaced paths, replacing stiles with accessible gates, and installing changing places and toilets, enabling more people of all abilities to enjoy the outdoors.

Additionally, we continue to invest in completing the King Charles III England Coast Path, which at around 2,700 miles will be the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world. Over 2,500 miles have now been approved, and more than 1,800 miles are already open. The route will also create around 250,000 hectares of new open access land within the coastal margin. We are also investing in improvements to Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route so that it can be designated as a National Trail.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to issue a green paper on access to nature, and according to what time frame.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure that this access is safe and appropriate. We are committed to increasing access to nature and have already set out several ambitious manifesto commitments to expand opportunities for the public to enjoy the outdoors, including the creation of nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England.

We are currently developing policy to improve access to nature, working closely with other government departments and key stakeholders.