§ Mr. Charles KennedyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his policy towards environmentally sensitive area schemes in England; and what is(a) the budget currently available for ESAs, (b) the number of farmers and landowners entered into each ESA scheme, (c) the area of land so entered and (d) the number of project officers employed to promote schemes. [2685]
Dr. John CunninghamA total of £34.8 million has been allocated for payments to English ESA agreement holders in the current financial year.
The number of farmers and landowners and the area of land entered into the English ESAs at the end of the 1996 application period are shown in the attached table. MAFF Regional Service Centres are currently processing applications made during the 1997 window.
The English ESA scheme is currently supported by 29 ESA Project Officers and 16 Assisted Project Officers.
507W
Number of agreements and area of land entered into English environmentally sensitive areas at the end of 1996 scheme year ESA Number of hectares under ESA agreement Number of ESA agreements Pennine Dales 26,616 789 South Downs 11,563 247 Somerset Levels and Moors 14,998 996 The Broads 15,818 805 West Penwith 6,308 199 Breckland 5,692 129 Suffolk River Valleys 9,515 495 Clun 14,652 215 North Peak 40,383 94 Test Valley 1,331 49 North Kent Marshes 4,065 67
Number of agreements and area of land entered into English environmentally sensitive areas at the end of 1996 scheme year ESA Number of hectares under ESA agreement Number of ESA agreements Avon Valley 1,023 56 South Wessex Downs 20,279 147 Exmoor 45,766 494 South West Peak 20,005 527 Lake District 114,437 1,047 Blackdown Hills 8,614 331 Cotswold Hills 43,283 622 Dartmoor 19,172 504 Essex Coast 3,080 105 Shropshire Hills 14,127 292 Upper Thames Tributaries 5,074 221 Total 445,801 8,431
§ Mr. KennedyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the species and habitats included as performance indicators for English ESAs and the specific objectives relating to each; and if he will make a statement concerning the progress made by farmers in respect of those species and habitats. [2686]
Dr. CunninghamFive year objectives and targets for each of the 22 English Environmentally Sensitive Areas have been produced and copies of these have been placed in the Library of the House. These include targets for specific habitats and species.
A summary of the results of a comprehensive programme of monitoring of the five Stage I ESAs, launched in 1987, was presented as evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee Enquiry into ESAs last year. (Ref HC 45–11 pages 10–14). This describes the achievements for targets set up to 1997.
Reports on the environmental monitoring of the five Stage II ESAs, launched in 1988, and the six Stage III ESAs, launched in 1993, will be published later this summer and those on the first five years of the six Stage IV ESAs are expected to be available in the summer of 1998.
Revised objectives and targets for the Stage I ESAs for the period 1997–2002, reflecting targets under the Government's Biodiversity Action Plan, are in preparation and should be available in the Autumn.