§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what definition his Department uses for a public good when determining non-financial benefits under the proposed countryside stewardship scheme; and whether it includes the conservation of wildlife and habitats.
§ Mr. BaldryIt is intended that under the countryside stewardship scheme payments will be made to land managers and farmers to protect and enhance key landscapes and habitats which are valued by the public; and to improve public enjoyment of them through the sensitive provision of access. Benefits to wildlife will be derived from the protection and enhancement of the habitats on which it is dependent.
§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what organisations he has consulted over the implementation of the countryside stewardship scheme.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Countryside Commission has been developing countryside stewardship in conjunction with my Department, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Nature Conservancy Council, now English Nature, and English Heritage. Discussion has taken place with a large number of organisations including the British Council for Archaeology, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the Country Landowners Association, the Farming and Wildlife Trust, the National Farmers Union, the national park authorities, the National Sheep Association, the National Trust, the Open Spaces Society, the Ramblers Association, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Tenant Farmers Association and the World Wide Fund for Nature UK. There has been substantial correspondence with many others.