House of Commons – Written Answers 1 November 2010
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish her Department's rural
impact assessment of the 2010 Spending Review. [20450]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not carried out a
formal assessment of the impact of the spending review on rural matters. It is
the responsibility of each Government Department to ensure that the needs and
interests of rural people, businesses and communities are addressed fairly in
its implementation of the spending review.
DEFRA has supported
Departments by providing guidance to assist them in carrying out their own
analysis of whether rural and urban communities will be affected in different
ways by spending decisions. DEFRA has also provided Her Majesty's Treasury with
advice to help it identify potential adverse rural impacts of spending
decisions. DEFRA officials will assist Departments in understanding the likely
rural impacts as they work on implementing the spending review.