§ Mr. Ottawayasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money the Government have spent, whether through the Countryside Commission or otherwise, on supporting farming and wildlife advisory 200W groups in each of the years 1984 and 1985; and how the 1986 figures are expected to compare in real terms with the 1985 figures in actual and percentage terms.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe total amounts paid by, or likely to be available from, the Countryside Commissions (for Scotland and for England and Wales), the Forestry Commission, the Nature Conservancy Council, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the Welsh Office are set out below. These figures include grant aid for the employment of conservation advisers, most of whom are employed directly by farming and wildlife advisory groups but some by county councils in pursuit of the same objectives.
Financial year Total payments provision £ 1983–84 20,000 1984–85 92,000 1985–86 c. 160,000 1986–87 c. 250,000 The provision for 1985–86 is equivalent to £166,000 in 1986–87 terms, representing a real increase of £84,000, or 51 per cent. in 1986–87.