§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2002, Official Report, column 798W, on the rural population, if he will estimate (a) the number of population increase and (b) the number of households projected in (i) deep rural and (ii) mixed rural areas by 2016. [58779]
§ Ms KeebleThe latest sub-national population projections for England to 2016 are the 1996-based projections prepared by the Office for National Statistics. Between 1996 and 2016 the population in those local authorities categorised by my Department as "deep rural" 507W is projected to rise by 0.26 million and the number of households by 0.21 million. Over the same period, the population in those local authorities categorised by my Department as "mixed rural" is projected to rise by 0.77 million and the number of households by 0.67 million.