Today as part of Prime Minister Questions Caroline Lucas was able to ask a question which included a starting point from this RSPB report. The question referred to one of the 17 targets that our nation has not achieved over the last decade. This target relates to the biodiversity of our nation. Clearly the question is how quickly will we be able to turn our 3 successful targets to 4 and then beyond 4. Given the Prime Ministers response from today we now need some details that will enable us to measure against these challenges on a regular basis .

CL: Last week, a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds report noted that the UK has seen a lost decade for nature, with the Government failing to reach 17 out of the 20 targets they had signed up to. There is a major United Nations biodiversity summit next week. It is a vital moment to put this right and to show some real leadership. The EU’s biodiversity summit aims to protect a minimum of 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, so will the Prime Minister commit now at least to match that goal of 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 and deliver the funding via the forthcoming spending review?

BJ: The hon. Lady simply cannot be unaware that the campaign to get the world’s leaders to sign up to a leaders’ declaration on biodiversity has been led over the past few weeks by this Government. [Interruption.] She knows that, Mr Speaker. It is this Government who devised the charter. It is this Government who are leading the world in protecting biodiversity across the planet, and we will put in the funding. We pioneered the 30% idea, and we will certainly put in all the funding required.