HL Deb 29 March 1999 vol 599 c18WA
Baroness Byford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which rural groups were consulted before recommendations were made concerning the rural representation to the new regional agencies. [HL1527]

Lord Whitty

Candidates for the boards of the regional development agencies (RDAs) were sought from as wide a field as possible. Three main approaches were taken to identify candidates: RDAs were included alongside other non-departmental public bodies in a general advertisement for board members; the databases of the Public Appointments Unit, DETR and other government departments were searched for suitable candidates; and a large number of regional and national stakeholders were contacted seeking nominations.

I have placed in the Library a list of the stakeholders which were approached for their capacity to nominate members who would provide rural expertise to the RDA boards.