§ Mr. Steen asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in the Official Report details of his extended responsibilities with regard to Merseyside following the announcement by the Prime Minister on 9 October.
§ Mr. Heseltine:My responsibilities were explained in the statement issued by the Prime Minister on 9 October, a copy of which I sent to the hon. Member. The text of the statement is attached.
Statement by the Prime Minister-9 October 1981 Merseyside
Following his visit to Merseyside in July, the Secretary of State for the Environment has been asked by the Prime Minister to continue to take a special interest in the problems of that area for a further 12 months. His role will be to bring together and concentrate the activities of central Government Departments and to work with local government and the private sector to find ways of strengthening the economy and improving the environment in Merseyside.
To assist him in his work a new task force is to be established in Liverpool, with participation from the Government Departments concerned with Merseyside's economy and environment—principally the Department of the Environment, the Department of Industry, the Manpower Services Commission and the Department of Transport. Under the Secretary of State's direction the task force will work in collaboration with the local authorities, the private sector and other organisations on Merseyside, with a view to promoting the best use of resources which the central Government commit to Merseyside; making proposals, for consideration by Ministers, for modifying policies or switching resources between Departmental programmes of expenditure on Merseyside; generating new initiatives; examining, as a basis for ministerial decisions, how any additional resources that might be made available by the Government could most usefully be deployed for the reduction of unemployment and the improvement of the economic and social life of the conurbation; and developing longer term proposals.
The task force will take account throughout of the need to promote good community relations and reduce disadvantage among ethnic minority groups.
These arrangements are intended to point to new ways of tackling the economic, environmental and social problems of inner cities which will benefit not just Merseyside but other conurbations with similar problems. There will be close liaison with Department of the Environment Ministers and their colleagues in the inner city partnerships in other conurbations. The task force will also draw on experience elsewhere for example the Glasgow eastern area renewal project.
Following the Secretary of State's approach to them last July, over 20 leading financial institutions have each agreed to second one of their best managers to work with the Government and in particular to help find ways of improving co-operation with the private sector on inner city problems. This group will be concerned with British cities generally, not just Merseyside.
In addition, the Government will be looking at a whole range of its activities—for example incentives for service industries, help for small businesses and training schemes, with the intention of seeing how they might contribute more effectively to the solution of inner city problems.