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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed appropriate prioritisation approach within Environmental Delivery Plans on environmental harm; and what framework will be used to assess value for money under that approach.

The mitigation hierarchy remains at the heart of the Nature Restoration Fund. These Regulations require Natural England, where appropriate, to prioritise avoidance measures over mitigation and compensation measures, and mitigation over compensation measures, whilst also considering value for money.

These Regulations require Natural England to consider value for money as part of their consideration of whether it is appropriate to depart from this hierarchy. What constitutes value for money will depend on the circumstances of a particular EDP, and Natural England may also take into account any other factors relevant to determining whether it is appropriate to depart form the hierarchy. Any resulting EDP will be subject to consultation and approval by the Secretary of State

The potential impacts of the Nature Restoration Fund were assessed through the Impact Assessment published alongside the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025.