asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Secretary for Biodiversity, Landscape and Rural Affairs, Barry Gardiner, on 20 February (Official Report, Commons, 25WS), whether the transfer of £4.72 million from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Department of Trade and Industry for socio-economical funding will be earmarked; if so, what it will be spent on; and, if not, whether any of it will stay with the rural development agencies or whether all of it will be passed to Natural England. [HL3586]

The sum of £4.172 million that was transferred to the Department for Trade and Industry was earmarked to cover expenditure incurred in the delivery and development of the socio-economic elements of the current and future rural development programmes for England. None of the sum has been, or will be, passed to Natural England.