Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse entitled The Rural Premium, published on April 2023.

Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics and provides broad comparisons between Rural and Urban areas by settlement type, including assessment on the rural economy, transport, housing and cost of living. These are available through The Statistical Digest for Rural England.

This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. We have made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed to ensure that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.

The specific challenges and opportunities that make rural economies distinctive can be harnessed by funds such as The Rural England Prosperity Fund which provides targeted support to rural businesses and communities.