Value for Money

Implementing statutory biodiversity net gain

Published 17 May 2024 10 recommendations Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Energy and environmentEnvironmental sustainabilityPollution and environmental qualityRural and countryside nao.org.uk
There are risks to the long-term effectiveness of a new policy to make sure developers protect or improve biodiversity

Recommendations (10)

Source: NAO Recommendations Tracker
10
Accepted
5
Implemented
5
In Progress
9
NAO Confirmed
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 1 Accepted Implemented
On managing risks as statutory BNG embeds as business as usual, Defra should: establish arrangements to understand and respond to system-wide risks and opportunities;
Page 13, para 22, bullet 1 Q1 2024-25
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 10 Accepted Work in Progress
identify the contribution that they expect statutory BNG to make to national biodiversity targets, and how they will measure the progress statutory BNG makes to these objectives.
Page 13, para 24, bullet 2 Q4 2025-26
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 2 Accepted Implemented
ensure it retains sufficient capacity and capability to deal with any challenges requiring central government leadership or response;
Page 13, para 22, bullet 2 Q4 2024-25
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 3 Accepted Implemented
monitor the extent to which the private market for biodiversity units is growing at the pace and scale it needs to in order to provide developers with the range of habitat types they require;
Page 13, para 22, bullet 3 Q1 2024-25
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 4 Accepted Work in Progress
establish a mechanism for spending income from the sales of statutory biodiversity credits in a timely way that fulfils the government?s role as biodiversity provider of last resort; and
Page 13, para 22, bullet 4 Q4 2025-26
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 5 Accepted Work in Progress
determine how it will monitor the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement by local authorities and responsible bodies, to give Defra adequate assurance that these organisations are complying with their statutory BNG obligations.
Page 13, para 22, bullet 5 Q4 2025-26
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 6 Accepted Implemented
On facilitating local delivery, Defra should: ensure local authorities have sufficient and timely funding certainty to allow longer-term planning;
Page 13, para 23, bullet 1 Q4 2025-26
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 7 Accepted Work in Progress
use monitoring information on the biodiversity units market to identify any differential regional impacts of the policy, such as local authorities less engaged with the policy, and target support to them; and
Page 13, para 23, bullet 2 Q4 2025-26
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 8 Accepted Implemented
be proactive in co-ordinating opportunities for best practice to be shared and adopted quickly, particularly among local authorities.
Page 13, para 23, bullet 3 Q1 2024-25
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rec 9 Accepted Work in Progress
On determining impact, Defra, working with Natural England, should: publish information annually ? for example, within Defra?s annual progress reports on the Environmental Improvement Plan ? on what statutory BNG has delivered so far towards the stated policy objectives, outcomes and benefits; and
Page 13, para 24, bullet 1 Q4 2025-26