§ Mr. HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if appeals against a decision of a regional appraisal panel on an application for a processing and marketing grant under the England Rural Development Programme are considered by the panel making the original decision. [26418]
§ Alun MichaelNo. The processing and marketing grant is a competitive and discretionary scheme administered regionally by DEFRA through the offices of the Rural Development Service (RDS). Appeals against non-selection for an award of grant are considered by the regional manager of another RDS region unconnected with the application.
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§ Mr. HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria are used to assess applications for processing and marketing grants under the England Rural Development Programme. [26417]
§ Alun MichaelApplications for the processing and marketing grant, rural enterprise scheme and vocational training scheme under the England Rural Development Programme are all subject to detailed technical assessment to determine the quality and value for money of the proposed project. The assessment covers: the need for the project; project objectives, performance indicators and milestones; sustainability (economic, environmental and social); relevance to key policy themes and national and regional priorities; financial viability; the requirement for public funds; the quality of plans for project management and delivery and the management of key risk and variables associated with the project. The size of the project determines the depth of the assessment.