Question reference: S6W-04164
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 5 November 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 November 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Improving Public Access Agri-Environment Climate Scheme there were, and of those how many (a) were approved and (b) are awaiting a decision, in each year since 2015.
Answer
The following table summarises the number of Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) applications received, applying specifically Improving Public Access (IPA), and of those how many were (a) were approved and (b) are awaiting a decision, in each year since 2015. The figures below exclude those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.
Please note that the 2020 round did not include the IPA option and that the 2019 round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer. Improving Public Access is not a Management Option, it is capital only, and as such was not included in the round.
The 2021 round that closed at the beginning of July 2021 was also extended. These applications are still being assessed.
| Year | Application Type | Applications Submitted1 | Applications Approved | Awaiting Decision |
| 2015 | Improving Public Access | 30 | 17 | 0 |
| 2016 | Improving Public Access | 54 | 36 | 0 |
| 2017 | Improving Public Access | 50 | 41 | 0 |
| 2018 | Improving Public Access | 96 | 53 | 0 |
| 2019 | Improving Public Access | NA* | - | - |
1Excludes those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.
* Application type not included in Round