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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) identify and (b) increase habitats for frogs.

The Government is taking a range of actions to identify and conserve habitats for frogs through our partnerships, our agri-environment schemes and our work to support planning authorities and developers.

Natural England is a partner in the National Amphibian and Reptile Survey which coordinates monitoring of the status and distribution of all the UK’s reptiles and amphibians, including the common and pool frog.

Natural England is developing a new system of protected species licensing for development impacting on great crested newts. This will ensure that habitat compensation is undertaken proactively at the district level by Natural England and the local authority, and it will increase the amount of habitat for newts and other amphibians.

We protect a number of amphibian species including the pool frog and their habitats under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. These make it illegal to disturb the species or damage or disturb any place that the species may use for shelter and protection. With regard to frogs this may include aquatic habitats where they are present.

We provide payments, through our agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship, to restore or create ponds and improve surrounding habitat used by frogs.

This is a devolved matter, so these actions only refer to what HMG is undertaking in England.