It is fair to say that if my name has been linked with anything in the past three years, it has been with the debate on the national spatial strategy and the sub-debate on rural planning and one-off housing. I must stress that this was never a debate about houses. The debate about one-off rural housing is essentially about people and a peopled countryside. With the publication of the national spatial strategy late last year, the Government again showed its commitment to tackling the issue of the revitalisation of rural areas. In addition to setting out practical measures to ensure balanced regional development in the country as a whole, the national spatial strategy makes it crystal clear that people from or living in a rural area have the right to work, live and build houses in those areas. This is a strategy that has listened to the voice of the people and is now meeting their needs in a balanced and sensible way.