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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the delays to the Natural England Voluntary Exit Scheme 2025.

The Department recognises the impact that Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) delays have had on former employees who left under the Natural England Voluntary Exit Scheme. Defra has worked closely with Natural England to understand the impact and support affected individuals, including ensuring compensation payments were made on time, supporting pension processing and providing hardship support where needed.

All compensation payments have now been made, and pensions are in payment for those who chose to draw them on exit.