Question follow-through · 127253
Equal Experts: Data Protection
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether DEFRA has established whether Equal Experts, in conducting the BNG Metric Tool Discovery phase under contract C24064, accessed software products developed by private sector BNG
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Tabled
- 14 Apr 2026
- Target answer date
- 21 Apr 2026
- Answer
- 21 Apr 2026 · 7 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Environment and energy
- Fertilisers · 10 Jun 2026
- Sustainable Farming Incentive · 11 Jun 2026
- Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Sustainable Farming Incentive · 11 Jun 2026
- Sustainable Farming Incentive · 11 Jun 2026
- Countryside Stewardship Scheme · 11 Jun 2026
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 5 · 1 Jul 2026
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 4 · 1 Jul 2026
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 2 · 1 Jul 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
14 Apr 2026
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether DEFRA has established whether Equal Experts, in conducting the BNG Metric Tool Discovery phase under contract C24064, accessed software products developed by private sector BNG
21 Apr 2026
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
21 Apr 2026
Answer published
The statutory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric is a Government‑owned tool and is currently only available to users in spreadsheet format. The existing tool has well‑recognised issues relating to accessibility, usability, and data integrity, which the Go...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Fertilisers
10 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will take steps to meet the asks of the National Farmers Union Fertiliser Resilience Plan, with specific regard to a) setting a trigger point for direct support; b) postpon
Sustainable Farming Incentive
11 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans her Department has should demand from farmers seeking to enter the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 and those wishing to replace expiring Countryside Stewardsh
Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Sustainable Farming Incentive
11 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set out a forward plan for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme offers for 2027 and 2028.
Sustainable Farming Incentive
11 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an Sustainable Farming Incentive option that supports farmers to produce protein crops, including peas and beans.
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
11 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the delays in the processing of applications for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier on the level of environment protection, inc
Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Sustainable Farming Incentive: Common Land
11 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that those who farm on common land are given equitable and swift access to the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier.
Planning Permission: Biodiversity
14 Jul 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of planning applications her Department expects to remain subject to the biodiversity gain condition once the 0.2 hectare, temporary permission and proposed brownfield