§ 25. Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the number and length of hedgerows which have been removed and of new hedgerows which have been planted with public support since 1982.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonI regret that information is not available in the form requested. Grants for hedge removal were abolished in 1976 except where this was ancillary to drainage work. Grants of this kind remained available until 1983. United Kingdom expenditure on them since 1982 has been £10.13 million.
Separate statistics on expenditure on grants for hedge planting and laying (with associated gates) are only available from 1985. Since then United Kingdom expenditure has been £2.0 million on total investment of £3.9 million.