§ Mr. John Pageasked the Prime Minister if he will publish a list of the responsibilities of the Department of Economic Affairs at the time of its formation on 1st January, 1968, and at the present day.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Department of Economic Affairs was set up in October, 1964, with responsibility for framing and supervising the plan for economic development and for the general co-ordination of action to implement national planning, and also of all economic policy relating to industrial expansion, prices and incomes, allocation of physical resources and regional implications of the expansion programme.
Between October, 1964 and 1st January, 1968 the only significant change was the transfer to the Board of Trade in August, 1967 of responsibilities relating to the co-ordination of certain external aspects of economic policy.
Since then, as the hon. Member knows, responsibility for the prices and incomes policy has been transferred to the Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity. The other responsibilities of the Department including its coordinating rôle in relation to regional and industrial policies remain unchanged. For a fuller account of the latter I would refer the hon. Member to the Answers I gave to Questions on 23rd April this year.