Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Michael Jack (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 2 July 2009 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Topical Questions

Question: Further to the question that my hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert) asked about DEFRA's budget, could the Secretary of State tell us what informed his statement that his Department's budget would be reduced from 2011 and say when he will publish details of what that means for DEFRA and the people whom it serves?

Answer: I did not say what the right hon. Gentleman has just indicated. What I was referring to last week was the published figures—they have been out for some time, although I realise that it has taken other people a little while to see them––which show the change between 2009-10 and 2010-11. As he will be aware, there are no budget figures beyond 2010-11, because that would be the subject of a future comprehensive spending review. What we are doing, as indicated earlier by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Member for Wansdyke (Dan Norris), is spending money efficiently. However, like him, I am a little loth to take advice from a party that would cut budgets across the piece now.

Secondary information