HL Deb 27 November 1995 vol 567 cc28-30WA
Lord Sanderson of Bowden

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the definition of the word "rural" in relation to their policy for Scottish Homes in their application of rural policy.

The Earl of Lindsay:

The definition of rurality used by Scottish Homes is based on the Scottish Economic Bulletin definition, sometimes referred to as the "Randall" definition, which identifies rural areas as local authority districts with a population density of less than one person per hectare. Scottish Homes refined this definition in 1992 to reflect its rural investment more accurately. Areas such as Stirling which are within rural local authorities have therefore been reclassified as urban and areas such as Arran which are part of an urban district have been reclassified as rural.