§ 21. Mr. Geraint Howellsasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the present state of the rural economy in Wales.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsThe rural economy in Wales faces problems and challenges arising out of the urgent need to stern the costly production of surplus food. The Government are actively responding with a range of measures including the rural enterprise initiative which I launched last March and which intensified the scale and the range of support available. Further measures to encourage the alternative uses of agricultural land are being announced today by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.