§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the proportion of costs of implementing the environmentally sensitive areas policy constituted by(a) administration, (b) monitoring, (c) payments to farmers and (d) other costs.
§ Mr. CurryOver the period 1986–87 to 1990–91, the payments to farmers in England have accounted for approximately 75 per cent. of the total costs of the ESA scheme, the balance being taken up by administration which includes conservation advice to participating farmers and monitoring to assess the economic and environmental impacts of the scheme. It is not possible to provide a precise breakdown between the administrative and monitoring costs, but they have been broadly equal.