HC Deb 16 July 2003 vol 409 cc319-20W
Mr. Steen

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Rural Enterprise Scheme grants have been approved by the South West Regional Appraisal Panel of the Rural Development Service in each of the last three years; and what the average amount given was. [126150]

Alun Michael

The South West Regional Appraisal Panel of the Rural Development Service has approved 112 Rural Enterprise Scheme grants in the last three full financial years. This can be broken down by year as follows.

Financial year (April to March) Number of schemes approved Total grant offered (£)
2000–01 5 178,483
2001–02 47 2,656,604
2002–03 60 3,914,858
Total 112 6,749,945

The average amount of grant awarded per scheme is £60,267.

Mr. Steen

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how farmers applying for assistance from the Rural Enterprise Scheme in the south-west region may obtain details of the South West Regional Appraisal Panel's deliberations and reasons for refusing an application. [126151]

Alun Michael

All unsuccessful applicants are notified in writing with the Regional Appraisal Panel's decision and reason(s) for refusal.

A summary of a project technical appraisal can be obtained by all the applicants on request in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Such a summary would not contain any information on third persons e.g. comparisons between an application under assessment and any similar application that may already have received an award.

In addition, applicants can request a summary of the key points of the Panel's consideration of the project.

Mr. Steen

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the criteria are for receiving funding from the Rural Enterprise Scheme; and what budget has been allocated to the south-west region under this scheme in the next financial year. [126153]

Alun Michael

The Rural Enterprise Scheme is aimed at producing sustainable outputs which contribute to the Strategy for Sustainable Food and Farming, the wider rural economy and thriving rural communities. It operates on a selective basis by supporting good quality individual projects which will contribute to these aims, in line with regional priorities and objectives that have been agreed in consultation with local stakeholders.

The scheme is administered by Defra's Rural Development Service on a regional basis. Applications for funding are assessed against the following criteria:

  • the need for the project;
  • clearly identified objectives, milestones and targets;
  • the sustainability of the project (economic impact, environmental impact and social impact);
  • the degree to which the project will produce desirable outputs that contribute to the scheme's key policy themes and priorities;
  • financial viability;
  • need for public funds;
  • project management and delivery;
  • risk assessment and sensitivity analysis; and
  • how well the project fits the region's needs and priorities.

Explanations of these criteria, and the need for them to be addressed in a suitable business plan, are set out in the scheme literature.

A Regional Appraisal Panel determines which projects should be supported based upon the individual qualitative assessments and taking account of the scheme's wider objectives, the quality of other competing projects, and the funds available.

The Rural Enterprise Scheme budget allocated to the south-west region for the 2003–04 financial year is £4.045 million, with £5.965 million currently budgeted for 2004–05.