§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the recommendation of the Third report of the Committee on Welsh Affairs, on social exclusion in Wales, concerning regional variations in tax to encourage investment in less developed areas. [146023]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithThe Government will be responding to the Committee in the usual way in due course. The Government set out a range of policies to promote fairness and to improve the economic performance of all parts of the UK in the pre-Budget308W report. Wales also benefited from substantial increases in provision in the 2000 Spending Review, including in relation to Objective 1 funding, which is intended to stimulate economic development in less developed areas.