§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to ensure that each of the regional development agencies includes agriculture in its development programme. [108378]
§ Ms Beverley HughesI have been asked to reply.
Section 4 of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 charged the RDAs specifically with furthering economic development, investment and employment in rural areas. Subsequent guidance issued by the Government to the RDAs required them to take account of the key role of agriculture in the preparation of their Regional Strategies.
The RDAs' Strategies, which have been broadly welcomed by the Government, include a range of proposals for diversifying the agricultural and rural economies. We are now awaiting the RDAs' detailed Action Plans for implementing their Strategies and we will pay close attention to their priorities for addressing agricultural and rural issues.