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12 Feb 2003 : Column 853W—continued
Whales
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policies on commercial whaling and the proposal for a Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. [97132]
Mr. Morley: The Government are strongly opposed to all whaling other than subsistence whaling by indigenous people. They fully support the International Whaling Commission's moratorium on commercial whaling and works within the IWC to maintain this.
The Government support the maintenance of existing whale sanctuaries in the Southern and Indian Oceans and has cosponsored proposals made by others for the creation of new sanctuaries in the South Pacific and South Atlantic.
Woodland Grant Scheme
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the expenditure in England of the Woodland Grant Scheme was in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 calendar years. [96827]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 10 February 2003]: The expenditure on all the activities grant aided under the Forestry Commission's Woodland Grant Scheme was as follows:
| Year | Total grants (£) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 17,215,133 |
| 2001 | 16,517,760 |
| 2002 | 18,042,494 |
12 Feb 2003 : Column 854W
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received concerning the introduction of a single closing date for the next round of the Woodland Grant Scheme for new planting. [96828]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 10 February 2003]: I have received one representation and this expressed concern about the introduction of a single closing date for new planting applications as announced by the Forestry Commission on 16 December 2002.
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of applications for the Woodland Grant Scheme for new planting in each of the last three years were from private landowners who had no previous experience of woodland planting. [96831]
Mr. Morley: Previous experience is not a criterion for grant-aid. This information is not, therefore, routinely collected and could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what difficulties were experienced by (a) the Forestry Commission and (b) DEFRA staff with the two closing dates per year for the Woodland Grant Scheme, in each year since 2000. [96861]
Mr. Morley: The Forestry Commission has found that any delays to the processing of grant applications made late in the year could result in applications not being approved in time for implementation during the current planting season. These delays can be for a number of reasons, including the resolution of issues between the Commission and the applicant and resolving items raised during the consultation process. Defra do not process the Woodland Grant Scheme (WGS), but process the associated Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (FWPS). Therefore any delays to a WGS application which has a parallel FWPS application can have a knock on effect within Defra.
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the difficulties with the 31 October deadline were for applicants for the Woodland Grant Scheme referred to by the Forestry Commission in its circular to interested parties dated 16th December 2002. [96862]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 10 February 2003]: Where there are delays in processing applications submitted late in the year, applicants may receive approval too late in the planting season to undertake the agreed work. A delay may be caused where applications are incomplete or require modification to meet the rules and standards of the Woodland Grant Scheme. Any objections arising from the consultation process have to be resolved, which can also add to the processing time.
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applicants there were for the Woodland Grant Scheme round for which the closing date was 31 October 2002. [96867]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 10 February 2003]: 633 applications for new planting were received for the 31 October 2002 closing date.