Joan Walley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Walley on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to introduce biodiversity offsetting; and whether ancient woodland will be exempt.

George Eustice

The Government is not proposing any policy change regarding biodiversity offsetting at this point. As recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee and others, Defra waited for – and is considering – the report on the six offsetting pilots before making any further decisions.

The Government has always been clear that any policy change regarding offsetting would not alter existing protections in the planning system such as those for ancient woodland.