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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of new Investment Zones on legal protections for national parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and green belt land.

Defra and DLUHC are working closely together on Investment Zone policy to support our growth objectives and maintain HM Government’s strong position on the environment. We are not weakening our environmental ambition either at home or abroad and remain committed to Net Zero by 2050 and delivering on the Environment Act, including setting a new legally binding target to halt the decline of species abundance in England by 2030.