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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) public and (b) private money was spent on developing nutrient neutrality (i) regulations, (ii) guidance and (iii) mitigation schemes as of 1 September 2023.

As of 1 September 2023, £10.8 million of the original £30 million intended to pump prime Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme has been spent. We also provided £100,000 funding to lead local planning authorities in each of the affected catchments to promote catchment-level working and supporting local responses.

We do not hold data on the level of private funding spent on developing nutrient neutrality. We are doubling the funding available for nutrient reduction schemes to £280m and making clear that we expect contributions from the larger developers. Our plan will ensure that new nutrients from development will still be offset, while shifting our longer-term focus to restoration.

Natural England will now have the funding and certainty to lead this work for the remainder of this decade. We expect them to partner with third parties to deliver nutrient reductions, and associated environmental co-benefits, where this represents good value for money.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Defra and Natural England will be in touch with local authorities who proposed mitigation schemes for their areas, and Natural England will set out its plans for the new scheme very soon.