The government has no plans to set up a special department to deal specifically with rural affairs, Prime Minister Tony Blair has admitted.

Speaking on the BBC's Countryfile programme, Mr Blair rejected increasing speculation that a Department of Rural Affairs is being considered.

It had been suggested such a move could help to combat the current crisis in the farming industry and concern about the countryside in general.

Mr Blair told the programme: "We don't have any plans to do that.

"The only thing I would say is that my experience in government is that you can shift around the departments but you have got to deal with the real problem.

"And the real problem isn't which bit of the government machine is dealing with it. The real problem is to co-ordinate it across government and work out the solutions."

He added: "There are deep-seated problems but they do need solutions and, again what I have tried to say to people that I've met is that I can give you sympathy and tell you how much I care about the position you're in but what you actually want from me is action."

The interview comes after a week in which Mr Blair tried to end talk of a rural crisis with a charm offensive to the south west and attacks on those "who seek to divide town and country".

Mr Blair acknowledged there was a farming crisis but insisted urban and rural areas shared the same problems.

Mr Blair has also recently set up a Cabinet committee chaired by Cabinet Office Minister Mo Mowlam to co-ordinate government policies across a range of rural issues.