§ Brian WhiteTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost is of completing the mapping stage of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, broken down by(a) year, (b) central government and (c) local government. [143015]
§ Alun MichaelBy the end of October 2003, the Countryside Agency and the Planning Inspectorate had spent a total of £22.7 million on implementing Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. This figure includes expenditure of £2.5 million in 2000–01; £3.4 million in 2001–02; £9.1 million in 2002–03 and £7.7 million in 2003–04. As well as the costs of mapping work completed, whether or not yet invoiced, it covers other costs arising from Part 1 of the Act, such as appeals, restrictions and publicity, and it includes staff costs.
544W It is not possible to give accurate figures for the remainder of the mapping exercise because there are still large external factors to be taken into account. These include the number of comments received on draft maps and the number of appeals. These variables could have a large impact on the final costs of the mapping exercise.
The figures relate to England. Information on mapping in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales. Local government is not involved in the mapping stage.