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 page 175 of the Levelling Up the United Kingdom White Paper, what proportion of the £140 million to spent over three years for the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment will be spent on R&D (a) outside the Greater South East and (b) in the Greater South East.

The UK is well served with world leading environmental science research establishments, many of which are outside London and the SE. The Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment aims to deliver high quality national and local evidence across all parts of England to assess the state and condition of biodiversity, ecosystems, and natural capital assets across our terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. It is not possible currently to state exactly how funding will be split between the Greater South-East and other parts of England while the programme is still in its pilot phase.