COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP AND HEDGEROW INCENTIVE SCHEMES (Hansard, 21 June 1994)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Arran)

We congratulate the Countryside Commission on their development and administration of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and the Hedgerow Incentive Scheme, which have broken new ground in environmental land management. We acknowledge the valuable support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, English Nature and English Heritage in carrying forward the schemes with this department. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has endorsed the Commission's proposal to bring the schemes together so as to enable best use of staff time and to streamline their delivery to farmers and other landowners.

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme will complete its pilot phase on 31st March 1996. Thereafter and with her agreement, we intend to transfer responsibility for this scheme and the Hedgerow Incentive Scheme from the Countryside Commission to my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The Government intend to legislate when parliamentary time permits to confer on the Minister the necessary powers to enable her to make payments under the Hedgerow Incentive Scheme and those parts of Countryside Stewardship which are covered neither by the EC Agri-Environment Regulation nor by the powers which the Minister already exercises under the Farm and Conservation Grant Scheme. The Government also intend such legislation to confer a statutory advisory role on the Secretary of State for the Environment, the Countryside Commission, English Nature and English Heritage in relation to the development of all of the Ministry of Agriculture's environmental land management schemes.

The Government value the contribution which farmers, landowners and many local organisations have made to the development and implementation of the two schemes, and we shall continue to build on this partnership.

The Government intend in the light of the pilot phase to consider the future role of Countryside Stewardship. They also intend to consider ways of better integrating and focusing all environmental land management schemes. We shall consult publicly on any proposals to change significantly current arrangements for Countryside Stewardship or other environmental Land management schemes.

The Government place a high value on the skills and experience of the staff currently running the Countryside Stewardship and Hedgerow Incentive Schemes. The staff needed to run the schemes after the Countryside Stewardship pilot phase has ended will be invited to transfer to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.