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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timetable is for announcing future funding arrangements for the Stewardship Scheme.

We will open our improved Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) later this year. We have started inviting farmers and land managers to begin the pre-application process and have published information that sets out what farmers and land managers can do now to help prepare to apply. CSHT will initially roll out in a controlled way by invitation, so everyone gets the right level of support.