HC Deb 10 June 2002 vol 386 cc1021-2W
Mr. Prisk

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on the imposition of a regional assembly upon a shire county if a majority of its population rejected it in a referendum. [60236]

Mr. Raynsford

I have been asked to reply.

Whether an elected regional assembly is established in any region will depend on the vote of the region as a whole.

Mr. Prisk

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that the people of Hertfordshire will be able to choose the region they wish to be a part of in his plans for regional governance. [60235]

Mr. Raynsford

I have been asked to reply.

No. As set out in chapter 6 of the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice", we do not propose to depart from the existing boundaries used by the Government offices for the regions, regional development agencies and other bodies.

Mr. Prisk

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of the impact on employment in the East of England region should an existing tier be abolished as outlined in his plans for regional governance. [60234]

Mr. Raynsford

I have been asked to reply.

It is not possible to make accurate estimates of the impact on employment of any future local government reorganisation in the east of England region, as this will depend on the unitary structure recommended by the Boundary Committee for England. More generally, we expect that an elected regional assembly would help to increase employment in the region by enhancing regional economic competitiveness and performance.

Mr. Prisk

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what minimum participation level will be required in referenda to determine the establishment of a regional assembly. [60233]

Mr. Raynsford

Our proposals for referendums are set out in chapter 9 of the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice."

Mr. Prisk

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what basis his Department estimates the cost of running a regional assembly. [60237]

Mr. Raynsford

Cost estimates have been based on a number of factors, including the number of staff working on relevant policy functions in the regions at present, the expected number of assembly members and support staff, and comparable costs for other tiers of Government, adjusted to take account of the specific features of regional assemblies.