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Rural Areas: Housing

Volume 472: debated on Thursday 6 March 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that funding will be available for (a) rural community council and (b) local measures to aid the supply of affordable rural housing to continue when Rural Social and Community Programme funding ends in March. (191430)

The Rural Social and Community Programme (RSCP) was always intended to be a time-limited, two-year programme. It also included a specific requirement that beneficiaries’ plans should include preparations for the closure of the scheme in March 2008. The Government recently recognised the importance of the rural community councils (RCCs) by announcing new funding worth over £10 million to the network over the next three years.

In addition, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1869-70W.

Sea

Possible reefs in the mid-Irish Sea

Spring 2007

Possible reefs in the central and western English Channel

Summer 2006

Possible reefs in the eastern Irish Sea

Summer 2005

Sandbank in the northern Irish Sea

Winter 2005, summer 2005

Reefs west of the Hebrides

Summer and autumn 2004

Submarine canyons in the south-west Approaches

Summer 2007

Further areas of search for “reefs” and “submarine structures made by leaking gases” will be surveyed by JNCC in 2008, 2009 and 2010 on the Scottish Continental Shelf, the offshore area in the North West of Scotland and the Irish Sea.