§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many applications nationwide the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs anticipates receiving for the entry-level stewardship scheme; and whether it is confident that these applications can be assessed quickly. [HL207]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)Subject to European Commission approval of the scheme, our intention is to launch the Environmental Stewardship Scheme next spring. In the first 12 months of operation we anticipate that we will receive around 40,000 applications to join the entry level strand of the scheme. The scheme will be delivered by the Rural Development Service and be supported by a new computer system. The RDS is confident that its planning and preparation, which has included organisational restructuring to enhance levels of customer service, will enable it to respond to the anticipated demand for entry level stewardship efficiently.