§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the cost in 1994 in each county in England, and in total, of payments made under(a) the countryside stewardship scheme, (b) the hedgerow incentive scheme, (c) the countryside premium scheme and (d) the wildlife enhancement scheme.
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§ Mr. AtkinsThe Countryside Commission, which operates the countryside stewardship, hedgerow incentive and countryside premium schemes on behalf of the Secretary of State, does not keep the requested information on a county basis, but records expenditure by its regional offices. English Nature, which has operated the wildlife enhancement scheme as a three-year pilot since 1 April 1992, similarly does not record expenditure on a county basis, but by pilot area.
Estimated grant expenditure for countryside stewardship for each of the commission's regional offices for the financial year 1994–95 is as follows:
£ Northern 1,590,000 North West 1,105,000 Yorkshire and Humberside 1,385,000 Midlands 1,238,500 Eastern 1,448,500 South East 2,126,500 South West 2,456,500 Total 11,350,000 These figures include expenditure on the hedgerow incentive scheme, which is now fully integrated into the countryside stewardship scheme.
The estimated cost of payments under the countryside premium scheme for 1994–95 is £453,600. The scheme operates in the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk. The commission does not have disaggregated data, and these could be provided only at disproportionate expense.
The estimated cost of payments for 1994–95 under the wildlife enhancement scheme are as follows:
£ Pevensey levels (Sussex) 152,500 Culm grasslands (Devon) 83,500 Coversand heaths and peatlands (Yorkshire/Humberside) 152,500 Craven limestone grasslands 310,200 Dorset heaths (Dorset) 141,000 Thames basin and Wealden heaths (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex) 127,000 Magnesian limestone grassland (Tyne and Wear, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire) 56,000 Hereford and Worcester grasslands (Hereford and Worcester) 35,500 Other1 41,800 Total 1,100,000 1 Includes administrative and publicity costs and a small amount of money yet to be allocated.
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost in 1993 in each county in England, and in total, of payments made under(a) the countryside stewardship scheme, (b) the hedgerow incentive scheme, (c) the countryside premium scheme and (d) the wildlife enhancement scheme.
§ Mr. AtkinsThese payments are not recorded on a county basis. Grant expenditure for countryside stewardship and the hedgerow incentives schemes for each of the Countryside Commission's regional offices for the financial year 1993–94 was as follows:40W
Countryside Stewardship £ Hedgerow Incentive £ Northern 960,000 123,000 North West 805,000 96,000 Yorkshire and Humberside 938,000 89,000 Midlands 617,000 171,000 Eastern 1,104,000 95,000 South East 1,499,000 55,000 South West 1,649,000 142,000 TOTAL 7,572,000 771,000 Expenditure on payments under the countryside premium scheme in the financial year 1993–94 in the seven counties in which the scheme operates was £599,861. The commission does not have disaggregated data, and these could be provided only at disproportionate expense.
Payments for 1993–94 under the wildlife enhancement scheme for each of English Nature's pilot areas were as follows:
£ Pevensey levels (Sussex) 150,000 Culm grasslands (Devon) 81,100 Coversands heaths and peatlands (Yorkshire and Humberside) 132,700 Craven limeston grasslands (Yorkshire) 164,600 Dorset heaths (Dorset) 0 Thames basin and Wealden heaths (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex) 0 Magnesian limestone grassland (Tyne and Wear, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire 0 Hereford and Worcester grasslands (Hereford and Worcestershire) 0 Other1 16,600 TOTAL 545,000 1 Includes administrative and publicity costs.