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 the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority Major Projects Annual Report 2025 to 2026, Tables, Farming and Countryside Programme, via which programme the digitally enabled transformation of farming grant and scheme services be delivered.

The digitally enabled transformation of farming grant and scheme services will be delivered through the Future Rural Payments Service (FRPS). FRPS currently sits within the Farming and Countryside Programme (FCP). However, the April 2026 NISTA-style review concluded, and Defra agreed that FCP's role is to establish the foundations for FRPS, not to deliver it. In line with the review's recommendation, FRPS will be established as a separate programme with its own governance, leadership and delivery arrangements.