HC Deb 09 March 1999 vol 327 cc160-1W
Mrs. Ellman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much of the indicative budgets proposed to be passed to the regional development agencies from English Partnerships for 1999–2000 and future years is not committed(a) in contractual terms and (b) in principle for each of the regional development agencies. [74901]

Mr. Meale

[holding answer5 March 1999]: The indicative budgets have yet to be finalised. Based on the latest provisional budgets, the percentage not committed in contractual terms (defined in this context as projects which have reached the final internal appraisal stage within English Partnerships) is as follows:

Percentage
North East 27
North West 1
Yorkshire and Humberside 2.5
East Midlands 12
West Midlands 51.5
Eastern 37
South West 22
South East 40

The figures are still being reviewed.

It will be for the RDAs themselves to consider how to handle in principle commitments within the overall resources available to them.

Budgets for 2000–01 and 2001–02 will be determined taking into account the RDAs' corporate plans.

Mrs. Ellman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much is being allocated to(a) the reclamation and development of the Greenwich site, (b) the setting up and running of databases on brown-field sites and (c) the managing of the programme of millennium villages from the funding proposed to be retained centrally by English Partnerships in 1999–2000. [75743]

Mr. Meale

The Department will make an allocation to EP for the tasks it has been agreed the Agency should undertake. It is for EP to decide how to allocate those resources in accordance with proposals presented in their corporate plan.

EP's proposed allocations for these projects for 1999–2000 are as follows:

Allocation £ million
(a) Greenwich 18
(b) Brownfield Sites 0.5
(c) Millennium Villages 5.4

Note:

In addition to the funding at (a),EP have a separate ringfenced grant in aid budget of some £15m for the Greenwich Millennium Dome site 1999–2000 is the final year of this three-year programme.