§ Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what proposals he has to protect dry stone walls in areas of outstanding natural beauty and conservation; and if he will make a statement; [99531]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of dry stone walls which have been removed from upland country over the last (a) five and (b) 10 years. [99530]
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§ Mr. MullinThis information is not available. However, the Countryside Survey 1990 estimated that the total length of dry stone walls in upland areas of Great Britain in 1990 was 99,710 km, which represented a reduction in length of 13 per cent. since 1984.
The most appropriate way of tackling the loss of dry stone walls is by encouraging their restoration and maintenance. Grants are currently available in England under the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas schemes operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Before taking decisions on any legislative protection, we shall need to take account of the possible impact of any regulatory proposals, as well as the results of the Countryside Survey 2000, which will provide up-to-date estimates of the changes in length and condition of dry stone walls.
§ Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions he has had with(a) the Peak District and (b) the North Yorkshire national parks about the destruction of dry stone walls. [99532]
§ Mr. MullinThe destruction of dry stone walls has not been raised in recent discussions held with the Peak District or North Yorkshire national parks.