§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to decrease disparities in regional gross domestic product per capita; and which Minister is in charge of these efforts. [79322]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 7 November 2002]: The Government set out in the 2002 Spending Review White Paper (Cm 5570) the steps which it is taking to promote prosperity in every region of the UK. Given the Government's long term ambition to reduce the persistent gap in performance between regions, the Spending Review established a new Public Service Agreement target to make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions and over the longer term reduce the persistent gap in growth rates between the regions. This target, as described in full in the 2002 Spending Review White Paper, is jointly owned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, DTI and the Treasury. Devolved policies are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.