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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what specific measures her Department is taking to support a sustainable blue economy in the UK through a) removing regulatory barriers to and b) incentivising private investment in ocean regeneration.

Defra has introduced a number of measures to incentivise private investment in the marine environment, including the Marine Recovery Fund which offshore wind developers can pay into to meet their project's compensation requirements and fund the delivery of strategic compensatory measures.

Defra are also funding the development of a saltmarsh carbon code, to allow these vital marine habitats to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset.

In the March 2025 Regulation Action Plan, the Government pledged to cut regulatory administrative costs by 25% - a move designed to unlock growth, boost innovation, and reduce burdens on businesses across key sectors.