§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to report to the House, in accordance with the requirements of section 18(8) of the Agriculture Act 1986, on the performance of management agreements in the Mourne mountains environmentally sensitive area; and whether any such report will describe the steps taken to monitor the effect of the agreements on wildlife and the landscape in the area.
§ Mr. ViggersThe Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, in accordance with article 3(8) of the96W Agriculture (Environmental Areas) (Northern Ireland) Order 1987, will monitor and make reports on the effects of the ESA management agreements. As it will take some time for the effects of the ESA scheme to become apparent it is likely that the first report will be made in early 1990 and it will, inter alia, describe the steps taken in monitoring the effects on the wildlife and landscape in the area.
§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give, in respect of the Mourne mountains environmentally sensitive area (ESA) in South Down(a) the total extent, in hectares of the environmentally sensitive area (b) the extent of agricultural land within the environmentally sensitive area (c) the number of farmers eligible to enter into management agreements in the environmentally sensitive areas and (d) the total area of land covered by agreements in the environmentally sensitive areas.
§ Mr. ViggersThe information requested is as follows:
Hectares (a) Total extent of the ESA 57,000 (b) Extent of eligible agricultural land within the ESA 33,000 (c) Number of farmes eligible to enter into management agreements in the ESA 1,435 (d) Total area of land covered by agreements in the ESA 19,227 1 Have been offered for participation in the ESA Scheme.