On 11 June, the Secretary of State for Energy assured his hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. McQuarrie) that he was taking immediate steps to deal with the Crisis in Rural Areas and that these steps would be effective.

We register the strongest protest to the Government about the way in which the Crisis in Rural Areas is being ignored.

otherwise, as an agriculturist, I should be doing less than justice to the present Crisis in Rural Areas.

I realise that time is short, but I want to address one or two important issues; otherwise, as an agriculturist, I should be doing less than justice to the present Crisis in Rural Areas.

I hope that, in the present Session, the Government will also attend to the deepening Crisis in Rural Areas, and that we can all look towards assistance for our constituents who are suffering as a consequence.

They may not have improved it much over the past few years, because they are suffering: the Government have driven them into Crisis in Rural Areas, and they have no money to make improvements.

Does it recognise that there is an urgent Crisis in Rural Areas?

Does the hon. Lady not understand that that is a drop in the ocean compared with magnitude of the Crisis in Our Rural Areas?

I hope that those Labour Back Benchers who represent some of the more rural communities will, as we will, vigorously press the Government for more effective action to tackle the Crisis in Rural Areas--the absence of measures to do so was one of the worst omissions from the Queen's Speech.

I am sure that the Minister will accept that a total ban on hunting would only add to the current economic Crisis in Rural Areas with which he is so familiar.

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the Crisis in Rural Areas predates the election of the Labour Government?