§ Baroness Byfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will respond to the review of the Rural White Paper released on 19 January 2004. [HL1586]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)On 4 November the Secretary of State for Defra made a commitment to produce a Refreshed Rural Strategy later this spring. The strategy will encompass a response to the White Paper review, coupled with details of modernisation of rural delivery and respond to the reports emerging from the work of the Centre for Rural Research led by Birkbeck College.
§ Baroness Byfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the new integrated agency bringing together aspects of English Nature, the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service will be housed together; and to whom they will report. [HL1587]
§ Lord WhittyIn her statement of 11 November 2003 on the Rural Delivery Review, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs accepted the recommendations by Lord Haskins to bring together elements of the work done by English Nature, the Countryside Agency and Defra's Rural Development Service into an integrated agency. She has recently announced that this new agency will be established as an executive non-departmental public body. As with other non-departmental public bodies, the Secretary of State will be accountable to Parliament for the effectiveness and efficiency of the integrated agency. She will appoint the members of its board.