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 her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, whether her Department will measure the environmental impact of solar-powered recycling hubs funded under the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme.

All recipients of Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants must agree outcomes and monitor and report on progress towards them throughout the grant lifecycle. During the application phase, proposed outcomes and the indicators used to measure progress are agreed. These are assessed by an external Expert Committee, which also considers any potential adverse environmental impacts and their corresponding risk mitigations.

An independent evaluation is planned for the programme and will provide further evidence on progress towards agreed outcomes and impact. This process will form the basis for assessing the environmental impact of projects, including the solar‑powered recycling hubs funded under the programme.