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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants are (a) fully and (b) partially employed in (i) rural policy development and (ii) checking rural proofing of other departments and public bodies.

The work of most staff in Defra and its arms’ length bodies touches on rural areas, whether it is on agriculture, fisheries, natural environment or wildlife.

There are currently 25 posts in Defra’s Rural Policy Team. All are involved in rural proofing, whether it is developing Defra’s approach, building the evidence base, engaging with stakeholders to identify concerns or working with other departments on specific issues.

In addition, there are 29 posts in the team in Defra managing the Rural Development Programme for England.