§ Mr. John SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the Regional Development Agencies. [86510]
§ Mr. MealeThe Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) inherited the main part of their staff and programmes on 1 April 1999, so it is too early for a formal assessment of their impact. However, early indications are that the RDAs are making good progress on building partnerships with regional stakeholders. They are also on target for producing draft regional strategies for consultation over the summer.