Less Favoured Areas

HC Deb 10 February 1986 vol 91 cc376-7W

Mr. Speller

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average delay in settling appeals on less favoured areas; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Fenner

Appeals against the exclusion of land from the less favoured areas have to be considered against a number of criteria. Checks on the first of these, land quality, are already under way but will take some months to complete given that approximately 11,000 representations have been received. Appeals which satisfy the land quality test will then have to be assessed against economic and demographic criteria before any case is put to the Commission for adjustment of the United Kingdom's LFA line.

We shall be notifying appellants over the coming months whose land fails the land quality test. They will then have the opportunity to make representations to a regional panel.