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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to publish a regular progress report on the operation of the Environmental Land Management Scheme’s tests and trials; and the funding from the public purse is available to participants in those trials.

In advance of the introduction of the new Environmental Land Management System, we will use tests and trials as a means to work with farmers, land managers and stakeholders so that they can contribute to the contents and design of the new system. This will enable us to test and trial elements of the new system with different user groups to understand how and if they work in a real life environment. We expect to be able to approve the first of the tests and trials in the near future. The level of funding will be based on an assessment of the expected outcomes of the individual proposals and the provision of value for money.