§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the moorland map of England drawn up by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service can be used, in its present form, by the Countryside Agency in compiling its draft access maps of open countryside. [82153]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Countryside Agency and the Countryside Council for Wales will be responsible for producing maps showing land to which the statutory right will apply. In considering how best to do this, the agencies will be assessing the suitability of a range of sources of information, including the Moorland Map of England, and will be consulting the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency, along with other organisations.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how long it took the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service to map the moorland areas of England; and how much the exercise cost. [82154]
§ Mr. MeacherThe production of the Moorland Map of England was undertaken between May 1992 and March 1993, and required ten staff years of resources. The estimated overall cost was £603,000. The programme was preceded by a pilot project during 1991, involving the Scottish and Welsh agriculture departments, at an estimated cost to ADAS of about £30,000. The Moorland Map shows only moorland lying within the Less Favoured Areas.