§ Mr. WyattTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many organisations in the SEEDA region dealt with economic regeneration in(a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; and what was the annual cost to public funds of each organisation, [26290]
§ Alan JohnsonMany organisations, both in the public and the private sector, contribute to economic regeneration. These bodies do not always specify what part of their budget is intended for regeneration, and where they do so there is no common definition of what is covered. Other previously existing organisations such as English Partnership and the Commission for New Towns covered a much wider area than the SEEDA boundaries, making it difficult at this late stage to disaggregate figures for the SEEDA area. For all these reasons it is not possible to provide figures in the form requested.
162WWhile numerous partnership and organisations are currently involved in economic regeneration at a local level within the region, SEEDA is the main region-wide organisation which actively promotes economic regeneration in the south-east.
Its budget for 1999–2000 was £63,586,000 and for 2000–01 was £74,901,000. Strictly speaking not all of this expenditure would be classed as "economic regeneration" as SEEDA's work among other things also involves skills, rural and community regeneration and social inclusion, however, all SEEDA's activities underpin economic regeneration within the south-east region.