EMPLOYMENT IN RURAL AREAS: CLOSING THE
JOBS GAP (5051/07)
Letter from the Chairman to James Plaskitt
MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Work
and Pensions
Sub-Committee D considered your Explanatory
Memorandum on the above Communication at its meeting of 2l February
2007.
The Committee takes a strong interest in matters
relating to rural development, particularly as this has a strong
link to discussions on the future shape of the Common Agricultural
Policy.
We are supportive of the robust line adopted
by the Government and we are therefore content to clear the proposal
from scrutiny. We note, however, that discussions are scheduled
in Council "to draw conclusions for future European rural
development policy". Given our strong interest in these matters,
we would be grateful if you could provide us with more details
on the nature of these discussions and the extent to which you
consider that these may set the agenda for future debate on the
CAP Health Check.
21 February 2007
Letter from James Plaskitt MP to the Chairman
Following my Explanatory Memorandum on the above
Communication you wrote on 21 February 2007. You asked for more
detail on the nature of the Council discussions on the Communication.
As it is my colleague the Secretary of State
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who leads on matters concerning
the Agriculture Council, this letter relays the information provided
by his Department.
The content of the European Commission's Communication
and draft Council Conclusions have been discussed at the Special
Committee for Agriculture (SCA) and will be adopted at the Agriculture
Council on 19-20 March. During discussions in the SCA the UK has
been able to agree changes to the language of the Council Conclusions
sufficient not to compromise UK policy objectives for the CAP,
whilst acknowledging the position of other Member States. The
Commission has been asked to examine further the employment situation
in rural areas and to deliver an updated report focusing particularly
on employment of younger people and women. Conclusions such as
these are a relevant part of the policy background which will
inform the CAP healthcheck next year, but they are, of course,
just one element amongst a range of drivers and objectives. We
do not think that these conclusions, as amended, would lead to
any unhelpful constraints on the scope of future CAP reform.
13 March 2007
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