§ Sir Peter Millsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking towards harmonising the grant rates for sea defence and coast protection.
§ Mr. JoplingI announced in February that the maximum rate of grant for sea defence schemes carried out by water authorities was being increased to 65 per cent. with effect from 1 April 1987. The Secretary of State for Wales and I have also decided that the maximum rate of grant for schemes under the Coast Protection Act 1949 should be reduced from 79 per cent. to 70 per cent. for all schemes where the full application for approval is received by the Department concerned on or after 1 October 1987.
From the same date we will also be introducing for such schemes a condition under which the rate of grant notified when the scheme is approved will be available for a fixed
£ million 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 Estimated Outturn 1986–87 Budget Provision 1987–88 Wind 2.5 2.5 4.8 5.4 3.7 3.20 Wave 3.1 1.0 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.10 Geothermal Aquifers 1.5 1.8 1.1 0.3 0.1 0.20 Geothermal Hot Dry Rocks 3.0 2.9 4.6 3.5 3.5 3.20 Solar 1.4 0.9 0.5 0.7 0.8 1.10 Biomass1 1.2 0.7 1.1 0.8 1.3 1.30 Tidal 0.3 0.1 0.1 1.00 Hydro Electric 0.1 0.15 General and Strategic Studies 0.95 Technology Transfer 0.40 External Contributions including EEC receipts 3.2 2.0 3.3 2.1 23.4 22.90 ETSU R and D Management 2.0 1.9 2.1 2.0 2.3 2.10 Grand Total 17.9 13.7 18.2 15.3 215.4 216.60 1 Where available figures include expenditure on waste as a fuel and passive solar design under the energy efficiency demonstration scheme. It is not possible to segregate a 1987–88 budget for demonstration projects on waste as a fuel from the total budget provision for the EEDS of £6.5 million. 2 Estimate