§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used in reaching decisions on rural development programmes in(a) the county of Leicester and (b) Northamptonshire.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyRural development programmes are drawn up for the rural development areas designated in 1984 by the rural development commission. The criteria which the Department laid down for the selection of such areas were:
- (a) above average unemployment;
- (b) an inadequate or unsatisfactory range of employment opportunities;
- (c) adverse effects from population decline or sparsity of population;
- (d) net outward migration of population;
- (e) disproportionate number of elderly people;
- (f) poor access to services and facilities.