§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state the basis on which resources of the rural capital projects initiative will be distributed within Wales; whether it will be geared to the indices of the Welsh deprivation table; and what consideration he will give in this allocation of these funds to those areas, identified as qualifying in terms of deprivation, which have, over recent years, not attracted significant investment under the urban aid programme.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettThe main objective of the rural initiative competition is to identify those projects likely to be of most benefit to rural communities. Each application is considered on its individual merits and careful account is taken of the views of local authorities and the relevant agencies. The allocation of funds is not based on the ward index of deprivation, which was constructed for a different purpose.
This is a new initiative which, assuming that good quality projects are submitted, will benefit rural communities throughout the Principality.