§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to allocate resources to pockets of rural deprivation in the delivery of services; and what resources she is making available. [87706]
§ Alun MichaelDeprivation in rural areas tends not to be as geographically concentrated as in urban areas and it is less meaningful to think in terms of "pockets". DEFRA is currently working with the Countryside Agency and Office for National Statistics to explore a better way to identify rural deprivation. The Countryside Agency has a social exclusion programme worth almost £3 million for the three years 2002–03 to 2004–05 with which to promote demonstration projects and new research to identify and tackle social exclusion in rural areas.
DEFRA and the Countryside Agency are actively promoting the equitable allocation of services in rural areas by helping Government Departments to "rural proof" their policies and programmes. Following the Rural White Paper we allocated over £47 million through the Vital Villages scheme, which in the first instance runs until 2003–04. This is aimed at tackling the problem of dwindling services at the root, by enabling local people to set up their own enterprises.
I refer the hon. Member to my earlier reply given to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George) on 25 November 2002, Official Report, columns 55–57W, which gives further information on DEFRA funded projects.