HC Deb 22 October 2003 vol 411 cc577-8W
Norman Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the full report entitled, River Cherwell Catchment Monitoring Study 1998–2000 Project Report. [133109]

Alun Michael

The River Cherwell Catchment Monitoring Study 1998–2000 Project Report concerns a study undertaken on behalf of Rhone-Poulenc Agriculture to quantify farmyard contamination of

£ million
2001–02 2002–03
Regions/Unit Original budget Revised budget Spend Original budget Revised budget Spend
North East 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.7 1.2 1.0
West Midlands 1.0 0.8 0.6 1.4 2.1 2.0
South West 1.5 1.2 0.2 2.0 2.5 1.9
North West 1.0 0.8 0.3 1.3 1.6 1.3
East Midlands 1.1 0.9 0.4 1.5 2.5 1.7
East of England 1.0 0.7 0.5 1.1 1.7 1.4
Yorks and Humber 1.0 0.7 0.3 1.2 1.8 1.9
South East 0.7 0.6 0.3 1.0 1.7 1.6
National 0.2 0.1 0 1.8 0.5 0.2
Total 8.0 6.2 2.8 12.0 15.6 13.0

Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the running costs were of the Rural Enterprise Scheme, broken down by region, in each year since the scheme was established(a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the scheme's budget. [132627]

Margaret Beckett

The Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) is delivered by Defra's Rural Development Service (RDS), but running costs are not available broken down by both scheme and region. In 2001–02 many RDS operational staff made a substantial contribution to work related to the foot and mouth disease outbreak and were not employed on their normal duties for much of the year. In consequence, it is not possible to provide an accurate figure for RES running costs in 2001–02.

In 2002–03 RES accounted for 75.7 staff years of RDS effort at a total estimated cost of £2.6 million. RDS running costs are not funded from RES programme expenditure, however £2.6 million expressed as a percentage of the final RES budget for 2002–03 is 16.7 per cent. It is important to note that 2002–03 running cost expenditure relates not just to the in-year budget, but also to the assessment and approval of projects which will incur expenditure in subsequent years; forward funding commitments at the end of 2002–03 amounted to £15.4 million. surface waters. As the report belongs to Rhone-Poulenc Agriculture (now Bayer CropScience) and has not been published it is not possible to place a copy in the House Library.