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Select Committee · Environmental Audit Committee

The role of natural capital in the green economy [revived]

Status: Open Opened: 13 Nov 2024 19 recommendations 16 conclusions 1 report

The Environmental Audit Committee in the 2024 Parliament has revived the predecessor Committee's inquiry into the current and potential future role of natural capital in the green economy, and the Government’s proposals to increase private investment in measures to support nature recovery. Read the call for evidence for more information about this revived inquiry.

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
1st Report – The role of natural capital in the UK's green … HC 501 7 May 2025 35 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 items
10 Recommendation 1st Report – The role of natural capita… Rejected

Ensure fiscal policy provides incentives for natural capital while protecting food security.

The Government should keep under review the effect of its fiscal policy on the availability of land for natural capital investment. In particular, the effect of the inclusion of environmental improvement schemes within the scope of APR relief from April 2025, combined with the changes to APR thresholds to be …

Government response. The government agrees to monitor changes to agricultural property relief in the normal way but rejects the recommendation to report to the House by a specific deadline due to data lag and complexity.
29 Recommendation 1st Report – The role of natural capita… Rejected

Establish comprehensive, publicly accessible register of BNG assets, investors, and credit owners by February 2026.

We recommend that not later than 12 February 2026—the start of the next biodiversity net gain reporting year—the Government establish a comprehensive and publicly accessible register of: • the location of onsite and offsite assets being developed under statutory provision for biodiversity net gain; • the identity of investors in …

Government response. The government states that a publicly available register for off-site BNG already exists but explicitly rejects the recommendation to establish a comprehensive, publicly accessible register including on-site assets, investor identities, and credit owners by 12 February 2026, stating they have …

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions
Date Witnesses
18 Dec 2024 Dr Will Lockhart OBE · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Helen Edmundson · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mary Creagh CBE MP · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs View ↗
4 Dec 2024 Alan Carter · The Land Trust, Dr Heather Plumpton · Green Alliance, Helen Avery · Green Finance Institute, Judicaelle Hammond · Country Land and Business Association, Kate McGavin · National Wealth Fund, Rt Hon Philip Dunne · Environmental Audit Select Committee View ↗

Correspondence

4 letters
DateDirectionTitle
16 Oct 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury relating to the environmental …
4 Sep 2025 To cttee Letter from the Under Secretary of State for Nature relating to the Role of Nat…
4 Sep 2025 From cttee Letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs relati…
22 Jul 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural…