HC Deb 10 February 1988 vol 127 c288W
Mr. Barry Field

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) why the Isle of Wight was omitted from the report "Developing the Rural Economy";

(2) why the Isle of Wight was not included in the areas selected by ECOTEC on behalf of the Development Commission.

Mr. Trippier

The ECOTEC report, "Developing the Rural Economy", was an assessment of the general effectiveness of the Development Commission's economic programmes. Only nine areas were selected for study solely to provide a representative cross-section of the rural areas in which the commission operates and the programmes it has provided. No significance therefore should be attached to the inclusion or omission of any particular area.