§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent or grant aided in each of the last three years for which figures are available by Scottish National Heritage on the repair of eroded footpaths.
§ Sir Hector MonroExpenditure on footpath repairs in each of the last three years has been:
- 1991–92: £277,655—Countryside Commission for Scotland
- 1992–93: £292,024—Scottish Natural Heritage
- 1993–94: £272,566—Scottish Natural Heritage
These figures exclude some expenditure on paths which is aggregated with other works to improve a recreation site or facility. They are grant costs at rates varying from 50 per cent. to 85 per cent. according to location of site and the range of organisations which are contributing to the costs.
SNH also runs a footpath management project with aims of promoting more action on path management and encouraging high standards of work. This project is funded through SNH's research budget at around £20,000 per annum. In addition, SNH has undertaken surveys of the need for path management to establish better the scale 659W of the problem. Surveys of this kind have been undertaken in Wester Ross and are under way in the Cairngorms.