§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what grant has been made available to the Open Spaces Society in each of the last three years from his Department; what grant will be given for 1993–94; what criteria have been used in deciding the level of grant for the forthcoming year; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanOver the past three years the Open Spaces Society has received grants from the Department's special grants programme as follows:
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- 1990–91 £37,285
- 1991–92 39,280
- 1992–93 40,150
The society was advised that 1992–93 would be the final year of the latest agreed period of funding. Their application for further support, from the new environmental action fund, therefore competed for limited resources with the many others we received.
Given the large number of worthy voluntary groups eligible for support from the fund, it would not be right for any one group to expect full support for an unlimited period. However, the society's work in protecting common land and town and village greens is highly regarded by the Department and I have therefore decided that the society should receive some further support for another three years towards its work in this area. This will amount to £15,000 in 1993–94 reducing to around £10,000 in 1995–96, giving time for the society to seek alternative sources of funding after that.