§ Lord Ponsonby of Shulbredeasked Her Majesty's Government:
What grants will be made available for rural development and conservation in the uplands of England. [HL923]
§ Lord DonoughueThe future of the rural economy and future protection of the uplands countryside are closely linked, and we need to continue to develop our grant schemes to help to strengthen that relationship.
The Government are therefore issuing new proposals for an experimental scheme, under which an integrated package of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's Objective 5b rural development grants and Countryside Stewardship grants could be put together to meet local employment and conservation needs. This experiment will apply in two areas of England. Secondly, we are proposing to extend the range of grants for the conservation of the uplands under the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
We issued yesterday a consultation paper setting out these proposals in detail. We will welcome comments by the end of May.