---

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 502W, on the English Rural Development Programme, how much of each of the amounts shown is accounted for by expenditure already agreed to; and how much is available to new applicants, broken down by scheme in each case. [106227] Alun Michael: The planned expenditure on schemes under the England Rural Development Programme is broken down as follows: £ million _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Expenditure on Funds available Expenditure on Funds available Expenditure on Funds available existing for new existing for new existing for new agreements applications agreements applications agreements applications Countryside Stewardship 72.5 8.5 65.6 30.4 55.7 55.3 Scheme1 Environmentally 45.2 2.8 45.2 2.8 45.2 2.8 Sensitive Areas Scheme Organic Farming Scheme 6.5 15.5 2.4 20.6 1.5 21.5 Farm Woodland Premium 10.7 0.3 10.4 1.6 10.4 2.6 Scheme Woodland Grant Scheme 7.4 13.6 5.4 16.6 4.1 17.9 Hill Farm Allowance2 34.8 0.0 27.2 0.0 27.2 0.0 Rural Enterprise Scheme 10.2 13.8 2.3 33.7 0.7 35.3 Processing and Marketing 6.6 1.4 1.5 6.5 0.3 7.7 Grant Vocational Training 1.7 2.3 0.8 3.2 0.2 3.8 Scheme Energy Crops Scheme 0.1 4.9 0.0 5.0 0.0 5.0 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 The rising profile of available funds for new applications will be reduced each year by the expenditure on applications approved in the preceding year(s). 2 Expenditure on the Hill Farm Allowance is determined by claims from farmers in the Less Favoured Areas who in any one year have an eligible forage area and keep sheep and/or breeding cattle. Payment rates are set according to demand and the available funds. The budget is planned to be spent in full each year. The budget for each of the schemes is kept under review, and some limited re-balancing of the available funds may be necessary, with European Commission approval as required, to meet the changing priorities of the Programme.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

106227; 402 c799-800W;402 c800W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Agriculture Expenditure Subsidies Rural development programme

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk