To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding is available in 2003–04 to the Countryside Agency's Vital Villages programme; and what funding is planned for 2004–05. [118171]

The Countryside Agency currently has £17 million available in 2003–04 to fund the Vital Villages programme to help rural communities. I am pleased to say that demand for this funding is high and some £12 million has already been committed to grants in 2003–04.Planning figures for 2004–05 are extremely provisional until a number of reviews have been included, including Haskins Review of rural delivery and Defra's review of priorities set out in the Rural White Paper but for the time being a figure of £21 million has been included in the Agency's current corporate plan for 2004–05 for the Vital Villages programme.