Written Question·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·UIN 121933

Rural Areas: Disadvantaged

Tabled: 18 March 2026
Answered: 25 March 2026

Question

James Naish

LabourRushcliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current measures of deprivation in capturing dispersed and hidden poverty in rural communities.

Answer

Dame Angela Eagle
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) leads on management and publication of the English Indices of Deprivation (IoD). Defra collaborated with MHCLG on a review and update of the indices, published in October 2025. A comprehens...

This is an extract from the Parliament API. Search the full answer on Parliament.uk (UIN 121933) →