§ 17. Mr. Fortescueasked the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs what check is kept on the allocation of expenditure by the public sector in the different regional planning areas in the light of their economic and social needs.
§ Mr. UrwinFor regional planning purposes work is concentrated on public expenditure on new construction in the regions. Apart from the continuous review of needs conducted by Government Departments, checks on allocation are provided by the representations from local authorities, who are the principal spending authorities in this field, and the comments of the regional planning councils who receive figures of past and forecast expenditure in this sector.
§ Mr. FortescueThe Minister said this afternoon that he has studied it once, but will he study once more rather more carefully the table of new construction orders per head of the population for each of the planning regions in 1966–67? In those tables he will see that the North west area has been at the bottom for the last two years. If he has studied them and if he has an adequate check made on the figures, he will see that the North-West needs more than anyone else.
§ Mr. UrwinI have already answered in part the question which the hon. Member asks. It is part of the normal duty of Government Departments to obtain the knowledge and information for which he is asking. They have all been very considerably assisted by the work of the regional economic planning councils in this regard.