HC Deb 19 December 2001 vol 377 cc465-7W
Adam Price

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will provide a regional breakdown of innovation funding in the UK. [23975]

Ms Hewitt

My Department's innovation programme expenditure is primarily providing support to industry UK-wide. In the financial year 2001–02, £340 million was allocated to this support. It would be a disproportionate

  • Temple Quay, Bristol
  • The Western Colleges Consortium for On-Line Learning
  • Towards the Radstock Community Vision
  • Working Together for Southmead, Bristol.

Mr. Swire

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the regeneration targets to be met by the South West Regional Development Agency. [23750]

Alan Johnson

The following are the agreed targets for the South West of England Regional Development Agency's regeneration programmes in 2001–02.

cost to ascertain the regional breakdown of this expenditure. Moreover in many instances mapping the immediate recipient of the support would not give a reliable guide to the ultimate distribution of the benefit.

The only funding currently allocated by my Department on a regional basis that contributes to the DTI's innovation agenda is the Regional Innovation Fund (RIF), which was established on 1 April 2001.

RIF provides a funding stream to the nine English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to enable them to support regional competitiveness, innovation and enterprise, and to support cluster development and business incubation in their regions. A breakdown of my Department's 2001–02 RIF allocation of £54.1 million to the RDAs is as follows:

2001–02 RIF allocation
RDA £ million
One North East 8.9
North West Development Agency 7.4
Yorkshire Forward 10.0
East Midlands Development Agency (emda) 4.3
Advantage West Midlands 6.3
East of England Development Agency 3.5
SEEDA 3.2
South West of England Regional Development Agency 4.7
London Development Agency 5.8