§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the criteria on which funds are made available(a) for drainage of land and (b) for set-aside land; and whether land which is within an area with subsidised drainage can be eligible for set-aside funds.
§ Mr. CurryThe detailed rules and rates of payment of grant for replacement field drainage as part of an improvement plan under the farm and conservation grant scheme—F and CGS—and for set-aside schemes are set out in the relevent scheme literature, copies of which I have placed in the Library of the House. Expenditure on grants for the replacement of field drainage under the F and CGS and on set-aside payments in England in 1991 was £49,187 and £19,207,338 respectively. Land which is within an area with subsidised drainage could be set-aside provided it met the conditions for entry to the set-aside scheme.