§ Baroness Byfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose to table a Motion for debate in this House drawing attention to the findings of the Rural White Paper published in November 2000; and, if so, when. [HL3900]
§ Lord WhittyGiven the volume of business of this House, the Government have no plans at present to have a debate.
We have made considerable progress in implementing the White Paper during the first year, despite the massive diversion of effort and resources required to deal with foot and mouth disease. We are continuing to work towards the achievement of all the White Paper's long-term goals.
England's rural future, published on 13 December 2001, which set out the Government's efforts to help rural recovery, and our response to the reports of the Rural Task Force and Lord Haskins included a progress report on implementing the Rural White Paper.
The Rural White Paper implementation plan, which is on the Defra website at http://defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/index.htm, shows how all the commitments made in the White Paper are being taken forward. An updated version will be available shortly.