§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many civil servants and public officials carry out activities on behalf of Government departments in the South West Region; and how many would be transferred to an elected South West Regional Assembly. [60023]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI have been asked to reply.
The number of permanent civil service staff in each English region is listed in the table in Box 2.6 of the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice" (Cm 5511). The number of other public officials in the regions is not held centrally.
The number of posts to transfer to an elected assembly for the South West will depend on the number of posts devoted to the relevant function at the time of transfer but might be in the region of 50 to 100 posts, the majority of which would come from the Government Office for the South West. The assembly would also become responsible for the South West Regional Development Agency, which currently employs around 200 staff.
§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list those agencies and public bodies(a) for which an elected south west regional assembly would have responsibility and accountability and (b) over which it would have influence. [60017]
§ Mr. RaynsfordI have been asked to reply.
The responsibilities of elected regional assemblies are set out in Chapter 4 of the White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice" (Cm 5511), published on 9 May.