Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 121
We recommend that the Government urgently review the funding allocated to bodies with responsibility for...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government urgently review the funding allocated to bodies with responsibility for monitoring, protecting and increasing levels of biodiversity in England, consistent with its goals for nature recovery under the 25 Year Environment Plan. In the next Spending Review the Chancellor of the Exchequer must back the Government’s ambition for nature recovery with a funding settlement for Natural England which properly reflects its statutory responsibilities and the tasks it is expected to perform.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response discusses nature-based solutions and various environmental initiatives but does not specifically address the recommendation to urgently review funding for bodies monitoring biodiversity or to provide a proper funding settlement for Natural England in the next Spending Review.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
121
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
There are a number of bodies responsible for monitoring biodiversity, and this includes an extensive range of species surveillance schemes and Earth Observation services operated as partnership programmes by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). We value the support and expertise provided by these bodies, whose performance is regularly reviewed by Ministers and senior officials. Natural England recently received a significant increase of 47% to their Grant in Aid budget, in order to support the delivery of their statutory duties. In addition, there has been increasing focus on Defra ALBs generating income through cost recovery and commercial activities as appropriate. In this case, Natural England have increased their external income by more than 90% since 2013. Grant in aid now represents 76% of their gross income, down from more than 90% in 2010.
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