§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to the reply of 12 January, if he will introduce legislation to make possible the allocation of grants to local authorities for the provision, replacement or improvement of hedgerows; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MoynihanI have been asked to reply.
Grants from the Countryside Commission are already available to local authorities and others towards the costs of replanting, reinstating or improving hedgerows, where these contribute to the landscape. The Nature Conservancy Council has power to pay grants to local authorities and others on expenditure relating to hedgerows which are an integral part of a site of nature conservation importance.