HC Deb 29 November 1993 vol 233 cc357-8W
Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to secure that payments made under the European Community regional development fund objective 3 and 4 programmes to projects in Wales are administered on an all-Wales basis.

Mr. Redwood

Payments made under the European regional development fund—ERDF—to projects in Wales

1989 1990 1991 Hectares base area (3-year average)
Set-aside 697 1,229 1,591 1,172
Proteins 1,004 925 1,009 979
Oilseed rape 554 744 1,094 797
Cereals 61,621 56,016 53,068 56,902

Mr. Welsh

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the June census set-aside figures for Wales for 1989, 1990 and 1991.

Mr. Redwood

There were 582 hectares of set-aside land in Wales recorded in the June 1989 agricultural census. This figure is not regarded as reliable and so comparable data were not collected in Wales in 1990 and 1991. More complete data, collected for the administration of the set-aside scheme, based on all land in the scheme during the year, are shown in the following table.

1989 1990 1991
Set-aside Scheme land (hectares) 697 1,229 1,591

are administered in Wales. Objectives 3 and 4 come under the European social fund and not ERDF, and future administrative arrangements are being considered.