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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to provide financial support to wildlife trusts and nature reserves whose income has reduced as a result of the Tier 4 covid-19 restrictions in England.

My department constantly keeps under review the financial health of Defra-related sectors, including in relation to how sectors are faring in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In December 2020, the Government announced the successful applicants to round 1 of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which brought forward up to £40 million for environmental charities and their partners to kick-start a pipeline of nature-based projects while creating and retaining jobs in the sector. A list of the 68 successful projects can be found on the National Lottery Heritage Fund website.

The Government has committed a further £40 million to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund in 2021/22, and my department will be announcing further details of a second round in the coming weeks.

Environmental charities have also been able to benefit from wider government financial support for businesses during Covid-19, particularly the Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of April 2021.