§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the current operation of the Tir Cymen scheme in the three pilot areas in Wales.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsTir Cymen, the farm stewardship scheme developed and administered by the Countryside Council for Wales, was launched in July 1992 and operates in three pilot areas based on the local authority districts of Meirionnydd, Dinefwr and Swansea.
In the first year—from 1 October 1992 to 30 September 1993—a total of 201 Tir Cymen agreements were finalised, covering a total area of 24,897 hectares, which represents 13.75 per cent. of the eligible land area. Total payments to farmers for the first year amount to £1,497,733, of which £961,817 is for management and £535,916 is for capital works. A breakdown of the figures for the three pilot areas is given in the table:
Date Staff employed 1993 14 1985 15 1979 15