§ Mr. Kevin HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on administering the Countryside Stewardship Scheme; and what proportion of total spending on the Countryside Stewardship Scheme was paid to farmers in each of the last five years. [33100]
§ Mr. MorleyThe table shows how much of the Department's running cost budget has been spent on administering the Countryside Stewardship Scheme over the last five years compared with payments to farmers over the same period (the latter is also expressed as a percentage of the total).
91W
£000 Administration costs Payments to farmers Percentage payments to farmers 1997–98 6,690 15,078 69 1998–99 7,643 19,896 72 1999–2000 8,541 23,892 74 2000–01 13,712 29,753 68 2001–021 8,911 48,893 85 1 2001–02 figures are provisional and not strictly comparable with previous years, owing to 1. the creation of the Rural Development Service on 1 April 2001; 2. the diversion of staff on to FMD duties during the course of 2001.