To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 12 December (HL3631), what is their assessment of the environmental contributions made by hill farmers in the Lake District who are (1) landowners, and (2) tenant farmers; and what assessment they have made of the way in which landowners, including the National Trust and other charities, distribute payments resulting from environmental measures to tenants.

The Government has made no assessment which differentiates between the contribution of landowners and tenants. Payments under agri-environment schemes are made for carrying out environmental management and these payments are made directly to agreement holders, who may be landowners or tenants, depending on who has the required management control of the land under agreement. Whether there are further disbursements of monies received, or other contractual arrangements between landowners and tenants, is entirely a matter for the parties concerned.