§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list current and past rates of payment, at 1991 prices, per hectare for each of the environmentally sensitive areas which have been in existence for more than three years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryFor the current rates of payment, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him earlier today. The former rates of payments in the stage I areas under the schemes which terminated on 31 December 1991 were as follows:
£ Broads Tier 1 125 Tier 2 200 Pennine Dales Tier 1 100 Somerset Levels and Moors Tier 1 82 Tier 2 120 South Downs Tier1 35 Tier 2—Arable conversion 160 West Penwith Tier 1 60 The payments in the former and the revised stage I schemes are not strictly comparable since the revisions to the scheme introduced variations in the conditions and some totally new measures.
§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the payment per hectare in each environmentally sensitive area; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryThe current payments per hectare in each environmentally sensitive area are as follows.
185W
Areas designated in 1987 (stage I) and revised in 1992 £ Broads Tier 1 125 Tier 2 220 Tier 3 250 Tier 4—Arable reversion 200 Tier 4—Grassland margins 280 Conservation Plan (up to a ceiling of £3,000 over 2 years) 75
£ Pennine Dales Tier 1—Pasture 90 Tier 1—Hay meadows 125 Tier 2 210 Woodland supplement 25 Conservation Plan (up to a ceiling of£3,000 over 2 years) 100 Somerset Levels and Moors Tier 1 120 Tier 2 180 Tier 3 350 High water level supplement 70 Conservation Plan (up to a ceiling of £3,000 over 2 years) 75 South Downs Tier 1 40 Tier 2 40 Tier 3—Arable reversion to chalk downland 240 Tier 3—Arable reversion to grassland 200 Tier 3—Conservation headlands 60 Conservation Plan (up to a ceiling of £3,000 over 2 years) 75 West Penwith Tier 1 65 Conservation Plan (up to a ceiling of £4,000 over 2 years) 100
Areas designated in 1988 (stage II): £ Breckland Section 1 — 100 Section 2 — 125 Section 3—Uncropped wildlife strips 300 —Conservation headlands 100 North Peak Tier 1 — 10 Tier 2 — 20 Shropshire Borders Tier 1 — 30 Tier 2 — 8O Suffolk River Valleys Tier 1 — 70 Tier 2 — 180 Tier 3 —Arable reversion 200 Test Valley Tier 1 — 80 The payments in respect of stage I areas will apply to new agreements made in response to applications under the revised schemes introduced on 15 January 1992.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the new environmentally sensitive areas that he intends to designate and how many existing environmentally sensitive areas he intends to expand; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gummer[pursuant to the reply, 11 November 1991, c. 420]: I am today issuing for public consultation proposals on the boundaries, aims and operation of six new environmentally sensitive areas. They cover:
- The Avon Valley (south of Salisbury)
- Exmoor
- Lake District
- North Kent Marshes
- South Wessex Downs (Wiltshire and Dorset)
- South West Peak
The areas proposed will add some 417,000 hectares to the 387,000 hectares currently within ESAs in England. 186W They vary in character from coastal marshland to mountain and moorland, and include some of Britain's most beautiful countryside and important wildlife habitats. I am making copies of the consultation documents available in the Library of the House.
ESAs help farmers to conserve and enhance special habitats, landscapes and features of historic interest. They have been widely acclaimed by both farmers and environmentalists. I am therefore delighted to be able to announce proposals for this major extension to the farmland covered by ESAs.
The six new schemes covered by the proposals will open for applications in the summer, after the results of the consultation have been analysed and the detailed arrangements finalised. A further six ESAs will be introduced next year.