HC Deb 27 November 1980 vol 994 c174W
Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what criteria he uses in the designation of a "rural Area", as termed in section 19 of the Housing Act 1980; and if the incidence of spoken Welsh in a particular area is a criterion which is considered in the designation.

Mr. Wyn Roberts

No statutory criteria are laid down. My first priority was to make the right to buy as unrestricted as possible, and particular attention was paid to the continued viability of rural communities, many of which are predominantly Welsh speaking.