§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what mechanism her Department monitors the effectiveness of the Regional Development Agencies' core indicators beyond the end of year results. [168657]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 26 April 2004]: Responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of England's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) sits with the Government Office (GO) in each region. The GO reports provide Ministers with the information required to measure the effectiveness of RDAs, both in terms of their role as a strategic catalyst in the region and in the delivery of specific outputs.
For the first two years of the RDAs' Single Pot (2002–03 and 2003–04), GOs reported to Ministers on RDA performance on a quarterly basis and, from April 2004, the frequency has been reduced to every six months, following the National Audit Office's recommendation in its November 2003 report, "Success in the Regions".
Performance data are published every six months. Mid year data for 2003–04 were published on 4 February 2004 and the end year data will be published before the summer recess.