§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of the money paid out under (a) the Agriculture and Horticulture Grants Scheme and (b) the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Scheme, allocated to the "land operations" category of expenditure within these two schemes, is spent on measures of direct benefit to wildlife conservation, in particular hedge-planting, hedge-laying, the creation or maintenance of farm ponds or other similar operations.
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Belstead)In most cases, expenditure of the kind described is incurred as part of an investment for agricultural purposes and I regret that it is not recorded separately, except for the following:
1983 Grant paid £ million Total investment on which grant paid £ million provision, replacement or improvement of: walls and hedges 0.57 1.5 shelter belts 0.11 0.23 Since 1st December 1983 the rate of grant has been increased for the construction or reconditioning of stone walls, and the planting of hedges and shelter belts in the less favoured areas under both the AHGS and the AHDS.