§ Ms Roseanna CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what guidelines he has issued to ensure that grants and loans received by private estates from public funds are adequately monitored; and if he will make a statement; [35675]
(2) what responsibilities he has for monitoring payments made from public funds to private landed estates; and if he will make a statement. [35693]
§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonGuidelines on each scheme operated by the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department are issued to all involved in considering applications or authorising payments. They are designed to ensure achievement of the scheme objectives and fulfilment of scheme conditions. There are no special procedures for512W monitoring payments from public funds to particular classes of applicant: standard procedures are applied to all recipients of assistance irrespective of their land tenure status.
§ Ms CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will introduce mechanisms to ensure that details of public funds given to landed private estates are readily available to members of the public; [35694]
(2) if he will list the publicly funded (a) grants and (b) loans received by the Atholl estate in the financial year 1993–94; what mechanisms were adopted to monitor the use of each payment made in this period; and if he will make a statement. [35696]
§ Mr. RobertsonDetails of public funds paid are subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1974 and cannot therefore be made available without the express permission of the recipient. I have no plans to introduce mechanisms to ensure that details of public funds given to private estates are available to members of the public. Private estates are subject to the same monitoring conditions as all other applicants for financial assistance.
§ Ms CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) of 16 April,Official Report, column 450, if he will list the locations of the information relating to financial assistance given to the Atholl Estate since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [35695]
§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonDetails of any financial assistance given to Atholl estate would be held in several locations. Some scheme details are held in the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department's local area office and some in the sub-office covering the area where the estate lands lie. The remainder are held in Edinburgh on the computer records appropriate to each scheme. For closed schemes, where all conditions would have been met, information will no longer be available.