§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what steps her Department is taking to facilitate access to open countryside; [175964]
(2) how much money has been allocated to the opening up of the countryside in each of the last 10 years; [175965]
(3) how much funding her Department plans to allocate to facilitate access to open countryside under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; [175966]
(4) what additional grants will be made to local authorities for implementation of new Part 1 access under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [175967]
§ Alun MichaelDefra is working with a wide range of organisations to ensure that people will enjoy the full benefits of the new right of access introduced by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The first two regions, the South East and lower North West, open for access on 19 September.
We are looking in detail with the Countryside Agency, Ordnance Survey and other bodies closely involved in the implementation of the new right at ways to make information about the Act widely available to the public. As part of our communications strategy, the Countryside Agency will very shortly be issuing guidance to access authorities (National Park Authorities in National Parks and local highway authorities elsewhere) and land managers on the use of signs.
The guidance will give access authorities the lead role in erecting and maintaining signs to show where open access rights exist and will encourage them to consult widely with land managers, local access forums and other interested parties in drawing up their plans. New signs will not be needed in every case and the guidance will advocate careful thought about whether additional signage is appropriate. The Countryside Agency will also be issuing a new and up-to-date Countryside Code on 12 July. Ordnance Survey is preparing to show access land on its Explorer maps.
Defra is funding the Countryside Agency, National Park Authorities and the Planning Inspectorate to implement Part 1 of the Act. The Countryside Agency has so far spent £29.30 million, consisting of £0.75 million in 1999–2000; £0.92 million in 2000–01; £5.17 million in 2001ߝ02; £8.30 million in 2002ߝ03; £13.25 million in 2003ߝ04; and £0.77 million to date in 2004ߝ05. The Agency expects to spend a further £14.23 million in the current financial year. National Park Authorities have been allocated an additional £4.725 million, consisting of £0.875 million in 2002–03; 223W £2.0 million in 2003–04; and £1.85 million in 2004–05. We have also funded the Planning Inspectorate to deal with appeals against the inclusion of land on provisional maps and restriction appeals: £0.11 million in 2001–02; £0.84 million in 2002–03 and £1.20 million in 2003–04. The Planning Inspectorate expect to spend no more than £2 million in the current financial year. Local authorities have been funded to establish local access forums under Part V of the Act.
Further, I have announced funding of £2 million for 2004–05 towards an access management grant scheme to support local authorities in implementing the new right of access. The scheme, which will be administered by the Countryside Agency, will contribute towards access authorities' preparatory planning costs and cover between 50 per cent. and 75 per cent. of the cost of new infrastructure work agreed with the Agency, such as signage, foot bridges and gates. It will give highest priority to especially sensitive nature conservation sites where effective management will avoid the need for a legal restriction to be placed on access, but will also fund management measures on sites outside nature conservation areas.
The scheme runs to the end of March 2005 and I will be considering whether to extend it in the light of its success this year and in the context of Defra's future spending priorities. Interim guidance about how the scheme will work has been available since April. The Agency will issue final guidance in early June.
The Government will allocate sufficient resources in future years to ensure the successful implementation of the new right of access under the Act.