§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the co-ordination of policy for rural communities. [49273]
§ Alun MichaelI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible for the co-ordination of policy for rural communities, assisted by myself and by the Department. My right hon. Friend chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Renewal, which addresses issues relevant to rural people that cut across departmental boundaries, and I am also a member of that Committee. The Countryside Agency is the Government's statutory adviser on rural and countryside issues, and in particular was asked to report publicly on the "rural-proofing" of the full range of Government policies; their first annual report was published on 11 April and a copy is available in the Library of the House. The Government's rural policies were set out in the White Paper "Our countryside: the future", published in November 2000; an update on progress was included in "England's Rural Future", which I published in December 2001.