§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money was allocated to the United Kingdom out of the European Union afforestation budget for 1993 to 1997; what are the criteria for such funding; which types of trees are subsidised; over what period the funds are paid; what percentage of the estates concerned are(a) privately owned and (b) public parks; and if he will list them. [10210]
§ Mr. Chisholm[holding answer 22 July 1997]: The United Kingdom has been allocated 61.6 million ECU from the European Union's afforestation budget for the period 1993 to 1997 to co-finance work carried out to establish and manage conifer and broadleaf woodlands on former agricultural land. Such work is approved under the woodland grant scheme and the farm woodland premium scheme; grants under the former are paid over a period of five years while annual payments under the latter cover a period of 10 to 15 years. Several thousand payments are made each year under these schemes and a list of all the cases involved could only be produced at disproportionate cost.
As the EU funding is for work carried out on former agricultural land, woodlands in public parks are not generally eligible. Further details of the woodland grant scheme and farm woodland premium scheme are given in explanatory booklets which are held in the Library of the House.