§ Mr. KilfoyleTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures he plans to enable English regions to be economically competitive within the(a) UK and (b) EU. [145213]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe Government keep all fiscal measures under review and any plans will be announced in the usual way.
The competitiveness of regions is a key factor in fiscal economic policy and there are already a number of measures in place, including those announced in SR2000—such as the new Regional Innovation Fund, which forms part of the Regional Development Agencies' much increased budgets. These measures are designed to ensure that the English regions are both competitive within the UK and the EU. Coupled with the Government's sound management of the economy, they have already made the UK the leading country for overseas investment in the EU.