§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to devolve business support services to regions other than the north-west, east midlands and west midlands. [85946]
§ John HealeyThe Government will consider the development of the RDA pilots before taking a decision on the general roll-out of RDA-led management and coordination of business support. However, outside the pilot areas, RDAs have been given additional funding and flexibilities which will enable them to work with SBS and other business support providers to improve the coherence and quality of services for small businesses. In the north-east, for example, the RDA has launched a new strategy to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the business support infrastructure.