§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the grant for the provision or maintenance of hedgerows or other field boundaries will be paid under the Countryside Stewardship Regulations where such features are required to be provided and maintained as a condition of the possession of the fields concerned under the terms of pre-1840 enclosure awards. [HL135]
§ Baroness HaymanThe Government considered carefully, in the light of the Flamborough judgment in 1996, whether payments made under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme for hedgerows and other field boundaries should continue to be paid where such features were subject to the pre-1840 inclosure awards. The Government do not have powers to intervene or enforce these matters. In addition, any work carried out in observance of this legislation may not necessarily be of the standard required by the scheme. The Government therefore took the view that payments for hedgerow and other field boundary work under the scheme should continue in view of the substantial benefits they offer to the English countryside.