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Tir Cymen and Environmentally Sensitive Area Schemes
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what assessment he has made of the success of the current prescriptions of the Tir Cymen and ESA schemes; [2937]
(2) if he will make it his policy to modify the prescriptions of Tir Cymen/ESAs to enhance the development of farmland bird communities; [2936]
(3) what forecasts he has made about the impact of the Tir Cymen and ESA schemes on farmland bird communities in Wales. [2938]
Mr. Hague: Tir Cymen and ESA prescriptions are subject to a five-year evaluation monitoring exercise and five year policy review respectively. Some modifications and enhancements have been, and will continue to be made, during Tir Cymen's experimental period; and modifications of ESA prescriptions will be considered in the light of the policy review. Although neither scheme is specifically targeted at enhancing the population of farmland birds, the nature of both will help to ensure a positive impact on their populations in Wales.
RSPB "Silent Fields" Report
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds report "Silent Fields"; and what proposals he will initiate in response to this report. [2939]
Mr. Hague: I launched the report in Wales at the royal Welsh show in July. I also discussed it with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds when I met it on 24 October. I will take the report into account in developing environmental and agricultural policies.
Overgrazing
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on overgrazing; if he will place a copy of all representations in the Library; and what is his assessment of the impact of overgrazing on Wales' wildlife. [2931]
Mr. Hague: I have received a number of complaints about specific instances of overgrazing, which we are investigating, as well as representations about the issue generally. I will place copies of the general
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representations in the Library, subject to the permission of the organisations concerned. Overgrazing can have a damaging effect on habitat, which we are anxious to arrest.
Mr. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of reports of overgrazing that have been investigated by the Welsh Office agriculture department in relation to the hill livestock compensatory allowance over the past five years; and how many of these investigations have resulted in hill livestock compensatory allowance payments being refused. [2933]
Mr. Hague: We have investigated nine cases in the period, all of which have been drawn to our attention during the past 18 months. The investigations are still in progress because of the need to study the vegetation during all seasons of the year. Where overgrazing is proven, our aim is to encourage farmers to change management practices voluntarily or reduce stocking levels to prevent further damage. There have been no cases where HLCA's have been reduced, but WOAD retains the right to do so in any cases where changes in farming practices are shown to be necessary and cannot be achieved voluntarily.
Moorland Scheme
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for increasing the financial incentives of the moorland scheme. [2932]
Mr. Hague: The moorland scheme payment rates are currently under review. No decisions have yet been taken.
Mr. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many applications have been made for entry into the moorland scheme in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [2935]
Mr. Hague: Five applications have been approved in respect of the moorland scheme in Wales. In addition, 28 farmers have expressed an interest in joining the scheme, which suggests the potential for further take-up in future years.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what monitoring of birds is taking place or is planned in environmentally sensitive areas in Wales; what methodologies are being used; which organisations have been consulted about monitoring; and if he will place copies of all consultation documents in the Library. [2934]
Mr. Hague: Winter wading bird populations are being monitored in the Lleyn peninsula and Ynys Mon ESAs using the wetland bird survey and national wildfowl counts, which have been developed by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust respectively and are contained in the ADAS national strategy for ESA monitoring. A survey of breeding waders in these ESAs is also planned. The Countryside Council for Wales, as my statutory conservation advisers, has been consulted. No consultation documents are available to be placed in the Library of the House.
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Non-Domestic Rating
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his proposals are for the Welsh non-domestic rate poundage for the next financial year. [3326]
Mr. Hague: I propose that the national non-domestic rate poundage for Wales should rise to 40.5p to reflect the annual increase in the retail prices index to September 1995.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his proposals are for local government revenue spending in 1996-97. [3327]
Mr. Hague: I propose to set total standard spending in Wales for 1996-97 at £2,867.3 million. This figure includes £149.6 million for care in the community. It represents an increase of £85.2 million, 3.1 per cent. on the comparable level of funding for 1995-96.
I propose to set central government support for total standard spending at £2,517.4 million.
I shall announce provisional standard spending assessments and provisional capping principles for Welsh police authorities later this week. At the same time, I shall announce my proposals for aggregate external finance and for damping increases in council tax arising from the reorganisation of local government from 1 April 1996. My Department will shortly write to the Welsh local authority associations to consult them on my proposals for revenue support grant in 1996-97.
I shall announce provisional standard spending assessments and provisional capping principles for unitary authorities in mid-December and my final decisions early in the new year.
Mr. Sweeney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to consult on his housing revenue account subsidy proposals for 1996-97 and what proposals he will be making. [3328]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
The Welsh Office is issuing proposals for consultation today. Local authorities and other consultees have been invited to let us have their views by 22 December 1995. I am arranging for copies of the proposals to be placed in the Library of the House.
We are proposing to keep guideline rents for 1996-97 at the same level in real terms as for 1995-96. This means an increase of £48 per dwelling per year, 92p per week for each authority. The flat rate increase is a transitional measure for the first year of the unitary authorities. We shall consult next year on the distribution of guideline rent increases between authorities in future years.
To encourage efficiency, we are also proposing a change in the subsidy rules which will limit rent rebate subsidy to the guideline rent increase. Authorities with rent below the guideline will be unaffected. The proposal does not affect tenants' entitlement to rent rebate.
For Wales total management and maintenance allowances will be around £175 million. This will allow broadly the same cash value of allowances per dwelling
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as in 1995-96. However, there will be increases for authorities furthest below the target level under a formula which takes account of relative stock condition. No authority will receive less than the equivalent of their 1995-96 allowance per dwelling and all authorities will achieve at least 97 per cent. of their targeted level in 1996-97.
Together, these proposals strike a reasonable balance between the need to constrain public expenditure and the need to ensure that housing is provided for tenants at reasonable cost.
Mr. Sweeney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on tax relief grant for non-charitable housing associations. [3329]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given today to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Dr. Twinn) by the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration.
Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were indicative contributions to the EU budget in respect of research and development for his Department in 1993-94. [1911]
Mr. Malone:
Table 2.1 of the statistical supplement to the "Forward Look of Government funded Science, Engineering and Technology", copies of which are available in the Library, contains indicative figures for the United Kingdom's contributions to the European Community budget in respect of research and development. Departments' policy responsibilities are subject to change and can vary from year to year. The Department of Health currently has responsibility for 2.67 per cent. of the United Kingdom's share of the Community R and D budget.
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