§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which of the agencies and NDPBs sponsored by his Department have a regional organisation; and if he will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in(a) 1997 and (b) 2002. [58962]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI have been asked to reply.
The Rent Service is organised into the three regions of: north (England); south and midlands; and London and east. These regions correspond to the regional boundaries of the Government offices for, respectively, the northeast, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber; the west midlands, east midlands, and the south-west; and London, east of England, and south-east.
The Marine and Coastguard Agency is organised into three regions: Scotland and Northern Ireland; eastern; and Wales and west. As these relate to England, these also incorporate complete Government office regions in almost every respect.
The Housing Corporation has four field offices in the regions of London, south, central and north, with local offices beneath these. These regions correspond to the regional boundaries of the Government offices for, respectively, London; the south-east and south-west; the west midlands, east midlands, and east of England; and the north-west, north-east, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
The Health and Safety Executive has a field operations headquarters in Bootle, with regional offices in divisions defined as Scotland, the north-west, Yorkshire and the north-east, midlands, Wales and west, the home counties, and London and the south-east.
The numbers of county and unitary local authorities in each of the Government office regions referred to have been placed in the House Library.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what regional organisation his Department has; and if he will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in(a) 1997 and (b) 2002. [58961]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI have been asked to reply.
The nine Government offices for the regions carry out work for my Department in a number of areas including housing, planning, transport, neighbourhood renewal, local government and the administration of European structural funds.
The county and unitary authorities in each of the nine English regions are set out in a table which I have placed in the Library.
The information about local authorities in the east of England given in annexe A of the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice" was incorrect. It should have shown that there are four unitary authorities—as set out in this table—and 44 shire districts.