HC Deb 17 April 1989 vol 151 cc33-4W
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the Countryside Commission position statement "Working for the Countryside" and, in particular, on its ideas for a countryside task force.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The Countryside Commission issued its position statement "Working for the Countryside" on 31 March to mark the conclusion of the community programme. The statement recognises the value of the contribution made to environmental work by the CP and puts forward suggestions for bridging the gap between CP and the smaller environmental and countryside work component of the employment training programme. I welcome the Commission's efforts with the Training Agency to encourage as many countryside bodies as possible to use the new scheme as effectively as some have already done. The commission's thinking on its longer-term concept of a national countryside task force is as yet only at a preliminary stage. I have asked the commission to work up the details so we can take a considered view of it.