§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish her proposed expenditure for each of the next three years under the English rural development programme, broken down by scheme. [103146]
§ Alun MichaelThe proposed expenditure on schemes under the England rural development programme is:
£million Scheme 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 Countryside Stewardship Scheme 81 96 111 Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme 48 48 48 Organic Farming Scheme 22 23 23 Farm Woodland Premium Scheme 11 12 13 Woodland Grant Scheme 21 22 22 Hill Farming Allowance 35 27 27 Rural Enterprise Scheme 24 36 36 Processing and Marketing Grant 8 8 8 Vocational Training Scheme 4 4 4 Energy Crops Scheme 5 5 5 The table does not include possible new schemes that would require modification of the ERDP and are subject to Commission approval. For example, we recently launched a pilot entry level agri-environment scheme and we have said that if this pilot is successful we intend to introduce the full scheme in England in 2005. Additional funding would have to be made available in 2005–06 to operate the scheme.
based schemes is expended on commitments entered into before the ERDP began in 2000.
In financial year 2000–01, 83 per cent. of the total budget available for the ERDP land-based schemes was spent, and in financial year 2001–02, 89 per cent. of the total budget available for the ERDP land-based schemes was spent.