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Correspondence

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Inverness, East, Nairn and Lochaber of 3 July 2001 on behalf of Dr. A. Jones of Nethy Bridge. [32246]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 4 February 2002]: We have no record of having received the letter referred to by my hon. Friend.

Circuses

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the animal welfare implications of circus practices involving the use of animals within the UK; and if she will make a statement. [30443]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 29 January 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 29 January 2002, Official Report, column 239W.

Regional Food

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to promote regional food chain supply and marketing initiatives. [32897]

Mr. Morley: We are pursuing a wide range of activities at regional and national level, directly and through bodies such as the Countryside Agency and Food from Britain which we grant aid. Support for appropriate projects is also available under the England Rural Development Programme.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Mr. Kevin Hughes: To 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. Morley: The 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).

11 Feb 2002 : Column 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
2001–02(18)	8,911	48,893	85

⁽¹⁸⁾ 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.

Badgers

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she issues on the relocation of badgers in suburban areas from (a) private home owners, (b) schools and (c) other public buildings. [32809]

Mr. Morley: Badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. For the purposes of preventing serious damage to property there is provision within the legislation for action to be taken under a licence from the Department. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Where relocation is the only feasible option the Department provides technical advice.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Department of Health regarding the transmission of TB by badgers. [32846]

Mr. Morley: In order to keep under review the potential of Mycobacterium bovis to infect humans a Joint Liaison Group on Bovine Tuberculosis in Animals and Man was established between the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health (DH). Liaison between the Department and DH continues through the Chief Medical Officer's UK Zoonoses Group.

Accountancy Services

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in each of the last four years. [34177]

Mr. Morley: The Department has only been in existence since June 2001, so does not have such historical information. The forecast cost in 2001–02 for accountancy services is £561k.

National Parks

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will give national parks the right to be represented on regional assemblies. [34128]

Alun Michael: The Government's proposals for elected regional assemblies in England will be presented to Parliament in a White Paper as soon as it is ready. This will set out the relationship between assemblies and other local and regional stakeholders.

11 Feb 2002 : Column 92W

Dorset

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the financial initiatives and resources sponsored by her Department in the last 12 months for Dorset which are additional to the Government SSA grants. [29890]

Mr. Morley: The major financial initiatives and resources sponsored in the last 12 months for Dorset are:

(a) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments

£000

Scheme	UK	EU
Arable Area Payment Scheme	427	200
Beef Special Premium Scheme	59	2,265
Countryside Stewardship Scheme	427	200
Extensification Payment Scheme	23	788
Environmentally Sensitive Areas	206	188
Slaughter Premium Scheme (EUTM)	0	122
Exception Payments (Miscellaneous)	23	0
Farm Woodland Premium Scheme	12	4
Farm Woodland Scheme	6	1
Organic Farming Scheme	325	303
Sheep Annual Premium Scheme	0	1,002
Suckler Cow Premium Scheme	2	1,095
Slaughter Premium Scheme	0	3

(b) Flood and Coastal Defences

In the last 12 months the following schemes and studies have been approved for grant aid:

Operating authority	Scheme
Purbeck borough council	Evening Hill coast protection
	Swanage beach management study
	Durlston Bay strategy study
Bournemouth borough council	Poole and Christchurch Bay strategy study
West Dorset district council	Beaminster Ph3A flood alleviation
	Lyme Regis (Windsor Terrace) flood alleviation
	Preston Brook study
Environment Agency	Pymore flood alleviation
	Flood warning improvements

The Department has paid grants of some £756,000 to the named schemes, as well as other on-going schemes.

As part of the response to the autumn 2000 floods, the Department has further provided the Environment Agency with special contributions towards the costs of (i) emergency response and repairs and (ii) design and feasibility for accelerated river defences. The contributions made to the Avon/Dorset Flood Defence Committee in the last 12 months for these items have totalled £413,000 and £164,000 respectively.

Farm Payments

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total amount paid to farm businesses was in each of the last five years, indicating in each case the cost of administering the (a) arable area payment scheme, (b) suckler cow premium scheme, (c) hill livestock compensatory allowance, (d) hill farming allowance, (e) countryside stewardship scheme and (f) environmentally sensitive areas schemes. [27758]

11 Feb 2002 : Column 93W

Mr. Morley: The amounts paid for (a) arable area payments scheme were:

£

Scheme year	Amount paid	Administration costs
1996	1,054,740,241	6,824,000
1997	1,055,721,796	6,388,000
1998	685,942,025	6,730,000
1999	1,130,409,358	6,347,000
2000	882,979,696	(19)7,222,000

⁽¹⁹⁾ Estimated outturn

The amounts paid for (b) suckler cow premium scheme were:

£

Scheme year	Amount paid	Administration costs
1996	81,524,702	2,685,900
1997	78,762,180	2,373,600
1998	77,854,276	2,493,300
1999	70,567,139	3,752,071
2000	67,923,516	3,742,781

The amounts paid for (c) hill livestock compensatory allowance were:

£

Scheme year	Amount paid	Administration costs
1996	27,128,357	1,127,000
1997	42,398,518	996,000
1998	28,086,148	1,046,000
1999	44,288,837	1,755,281
2000	43,666,451	927,037

There were no amounts paid for (d) hill farm allowance for these periods.

The amounts paid for (e) countryside stewardship scheme were:

£

Scheme year	Amount paid	Administration costs
1996	12,468,000	2,031,000
1997	17,126,000	1,793,000
1998	22,030,000	1,884,000
1999	26,038,000	1,773,000
2000	31,915,000	2,918,000

The amounts paid for (f) environmentally sensitive areas scheme were:

£

Scheme year	Amount paid	Administration costs
1996	27,591,000	1,461,000
1997	32,984,000	1,290,000
1998	36,376,000	1,355,000
1999	41,144,000	1,743,000
2000	43,807,000	2,005,000

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