§ Mr. Andersonasked the Prime Minister why she has transferred to the Welsh Office responsibility for the administration of all regional development grants in Wales.
§ The Prime MinisterRegional development grants, in the form introduced by the Co-operative Development Agency and Industrial Development Act 1984, will, for the future, be most sensibly administered together with regional selective assistance. Both forms of assistance are on a project basis and normally linked to jobs. A consistent approach towards projects in receipt of both forms of assistance is needed. Therefore, the payment of regional development grants in Wales has, since 29 November 1984, been the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales, who was already responsible for payments under section 7 of the Industrial Development Act 1982. Similar arrangements have been made in Scotland.