House
of Commons Written Answers 25 October 2010
Julian
Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the nature of
rural communities is reflected in the outcome of the comprehensive spending
review. [18937]
Richard Benyon: It is the responsibility
of every Government Department to ensure that the needs and interests of rural
people, businesses and communities are addressed fairly in the Spending Review.
DEFRA has supported this by providing each Department with guidance to assist
them in carrying out analysis of whether rural and urban communities will be
affected in different ways by spending decisions, and by providing Her
Majesty's Treasury with advice to help it identify potential adverse rural
impacts of these decisions. DEFRA officials will continue to assist Departments
in understanding the likely rural impacts as the Spending Review is
implemented.