§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance she(a) has given and (b) plans to give to Exmoor following the foot and mouth epidemic. [88301]
§ Alun MichaelThe Government has helped businesses adjust to the impact of foot and mouth disease and its aftermath through
Setting up the £80 million Business Recovery Fund. This fund, administered by the regional development agencies, funded business improvements, training, and loan interest costs, together with local/regional tourism promotion and rural regeneration projects which helped bring visitors back to rural areas more quickly. The South West Regional Development Agency—covering Exmoor—benefited from an additional 551W £14 million from central Government and the RDA made a further £3 million available from their budgets for FMD-related business recovery measures.Deferring tax, VAT and National Insurance payments, without interest charges, for businesses severely affected by foot and mouth disease (with a total amount deferred in excess of £250 million throughout England).Helping local authorities defer rate payments and/or give hardship rate relief through the non-domestic rates system by increasing the central Government contribution towards local authority costs of providing relief to rural businesses. 151 rural local authorities could underwrite the cost of giving relief to businesses with properties under £12,000 rateable value generally, and properties under £50,000 rateable value in the 39 worst affected rural authority areas for the 2001–02 financial year, which includes the rural authorities that cover Exmoor. North Devon District Council granted over £240,000 of relief under the scheme; West Somerset District Council granted nearly £390,000; over 95 per cent. of the cost was met by central Government.Fast tracking other measures to speed up rural regeneration, for example rapid introduction of mandatory rate relief for pubs, garages and other food shops in small settlements and extending the market towns programme to include towns badly affected by FMD;Matching over £14 million in donations from the public to charitable organisations helping farmers and rural communities hit by FMD, including over £40,000 for the Exmoor Trust.Providing £0.5 million for the Countryside Access Recovery Fund to promote access to and/or understanding of the countryside.In addition, the Exmoor Environmentally Sensitive Area agreement holders, in 2002, collectively received in excess of £1.8 million in management payments and a further £1.44 million in capital grants for Conservation Plan works.