Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots has made a written statement to the Assembly following the publication of the Rural Needs Annual Monitoring Report April 2020 – March 2021.
In his statement, Minister Poots said: “The Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016 (the Act) places a statutory duty on departments, district councils and certain other public authorities (listed in the Schedule to the Act) to have due regard to the social and economic needs of people in rural areas in the development, adoption, implementation, and revision of policies, strategies and plans and in the design and delivery of public services. This helps to ensure that public authorities consider rural needs when undertaking these activities, helping to ensure an equitable outcome for those who live in our rural areas.”
The Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016 places additional duties on DAERA, and the report also contains information on how these requirements were fulfilled.
Concluding his statement, Minister Poots said: “As the department with responsibility for the Act, my department will continue to provide a range of support to the other public authorities listed in the Schedule to the Act to help ensure they comply with the requirements of the legislation. This support includes the provision of advice on the implementation of the due regard duty, the undertaking of Rural Needs Impact Assessments, the completion of Rural Needs Impact Assessment templates, engaging with rural stakeholders and monitoring and reporting."
Notes to editors:
- The Rural Needs Annual Monitoring Report April 2020 – March 2021 was published on the DAERA website on 15 December 2021.
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