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The Scottish Government
Rural Directorate
Agriculture and Rural Development Division

T: 0131-244 6422 F: 0131-244 6551
E: carol.chalmers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Our ref: E532257
18 September 2008

Dear Sir/Madam

CONSULTATION ON THE LESS FAVOURED AREA SUPPORT SCHEME IN SCOTLAND (2010-2013)

The current Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) is an interim scheme which closes on 31 December 2009. We have decided that it would be beneficial at this stage to review the interim scheme and make any necessary changes for the period 2010-2013, the remaining years of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), of which LFASS is an integral part.

We are therefore consulting on options for a second interim scheme for 2010-2013, as well as seeking views on how we should respond to possible changes in the relevan European legislation.

We are inviting written responses to this consultation paper by 19 December 2008. Early responses would be particularly welcome.

Please send your response with the completed Respondent Information Form to:

Less Favoured Area Support Scheme In Scotland (2010-2013)

or

lfassconsultation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

If you have any queries about this consultation please contact me on 0131 244 6422.

We would be grateful if you could clearly indicate in your response which questions of the consultation paper you are responding to as this will aid our analysis of the responses received.

This consultation and all other consultations exercises can be viewed online an the consultation web pages of the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations. You can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out where your nearest public internet access point is.

The Scottish Government now has an email alert sytem for consultations, SEconsult at

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations /seconsult.aspx . This system allows stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new consultations (including web links). SEconsult complements but in no way replaces SG distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to keep up to date with all SG consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We would encourage you to register.

Handling your response

We need to know how you wish you're your response to be handled and in particular whether you are happy for your response to be made public. Please complete and return the Respondent Information Form attached to this letter, as this will ensure that we treat your response appropriately. If you ask for your response not to be published we will regard it as confidential, and we will treat it accordingly.

All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and would therefore have to consider any request made to it under the Act for information relating to responses made to this consultation exercise.

Next steps in the process

Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public in the Scottish Government Library. (see the attached Respondent Information Form), these will be made available to the public in the Scottish Government Library by 22 January 2009 and on the Scottish Government Consultation web pages by 29 January 2009. You can make arrangements to view responses by contacting the SG library on 0131 244 4552. Responses can be copied and sent to you, but a charge may be made for this service.

What happens next?

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence to help us make a decision on the future of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) 2010-2013.

Comments and complaints

If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to:

Tel: 0131 244 5248
e-mail: neil.fleming@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Mrs Carol Chalmers

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