§ 28. Mr. HealeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the role of the Regional Development Agencies in England in regenerating the business base in areas with low GDP. [116172]
§ Ms ArmstrongThe main aim of the Regional Development Agencies is to improve the competitiveness of the English Regions within a framework of sustainable development. Their Regional Strategies and Action Plans take a co-ordinated approach and contain high level objectives to increase GDP relative to other EU regions as well as, where appropriate, to other English regions. The RDAs' own spending programmes contribute to regenerating the business base; these include the single regeneration budget, physical regeneration, rural development, inward investment, skills development and competitiveness development.