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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the expected annual (a) resource and (b) capital expenditure will be on the Major Projects Portfolio projects entitled (i) Biosecurity, Borders and Trade Programme, (ii) Science Capability in Animal Health Programme, (iii) Future Farming and Countryside Programme UK Seafood Fund and (iv) Northern Ireland Programme in each financial year of those projects; and if he will place that information in the House of Commons Library.

(i) The Biosecurity, Borders and Trade Programme is responsible for the design and delivery of all Defra import controls and export processes. The cost of the programme that has been approved by HM Treasury in September 2021 is an average of £90 million per annum in resource costs (FY 2022/2023 – FY 2024/2025 inclusive), a large proportion of which is the initial operating costs of two BCPs, and digital infrastructure to support traders. Capital expenditure is £57 million in in FY 2022/2023 and reduces significantly to £6 million in FY 2024/2025.

HM Government announced a delay to the introduction of full import controls in April 2022 and committed to delivering a new target operating model. This new model will be risk-based and proportionate, minimise the administrative burden on traders and embrace technology. There are a number of options being considered. Once a decision has been made on the final scope of the programme, a fresh business case will be submitted to Treasury setting out the annual cost.

(ii) Regarding the Science Capability in Animal Health (SCAH) programme, the budget for this Spending Review is £30 million in FY 2022/2023, £80 million in FY 2023/2024, and £69 million in FY 2024/2025.

(iii) Spending for the Future Farming and Countryside Programme will be in line with the manifesto commitment at an average of £2.4 billion/year.

(iv) The table below shows the expected resource and capital expenditure for the UK Seafood Fund as agreed at the last Spending Review. We will be adjusting this profile of funding at the Supplementary Estimates to reflect the extension of the Fund to March 2025.

(v) Spending under the Northern Ireland programme is detailed in the table below:

*Includes ringfenced funding by HMT in support of Digital Assistance Scheme (DAS) delivery against the Northern Ireland Agri-Food Scheme Business Case. DAS costs for 2023-24 and beyond mirror the Programme Business Case approved by HMT.

**Resource expenditure (RDEL) consists of NI Directorate BAU, Movement Assistance Scheme(MAS) and DAS funding.

***Capital expenditure( CDEL) consists of DAS funding.