§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what the estimated expenditure by regional observatories is in England in the current financial year; and what proportion of this expenditure will by financed by central Government; [55191]
(2) which Government department has responsibility for overseeing the regional observatories and if he will make a statement on their purpose. [55190]
§ Mrs. RocheRegional observatories are independent entities formed by partnerships of regional organisations, including academic institutions, regional assemblies, regional development agencies, and Government Offices for the Regions. They aim to share the production, analysis and dissemination of intelligence and research related to regional policy. No Government department has responsibility for overseeing them.
671W Each regional observatory has been established as a local initiative. Funding has to date been from a variety of sources and is often in kind. The table below shows the current progress of each observatory and sources of funding.
Progress of Regional Observatories and Current Funding Region Status Lead Partners Funding Source Government Office Input North East Planning Stage ONE North East, North East Regional Assembly, Government Office for the North East None as yet 8 per cent of 1 staff year North West Operational as the North West Regional Intelligence Unit North West Development Agency Mainly North West Development Agency 7 per cent of 1 staff year Yorkshire & the Humber Operational as Yorkshire Futures Regional Intelligence Network Yorkshire Forward, Government Office for Yorkshire & Humberside, South Yorks Learning & Skills Council, Yorkshire Universities, Northern & Yorkshire and Trent Public Health Observatories Yorkshire Forward, Skills Development Fund, European Social Fund Objective 3 5 per cent of 1 staff year East Midlands Operational as East Midlands Observatory East Midlands Development Agency, Regional Assembly, East Midlands Local Government Association, Government Office for the East Midlands East Midlands Development Agency, Regional Assembly, East Midlands Local Government Association, European Social Fund Objective 3, Northants Chamber of Commerce 11 per cent of 1 staff year West Midlands Planning Stage Advantage West Midlands *Advantage West Midlands, European Social Fund Objective 2, European Union Framework 6 20 per cent of 1 staff year East of England Operational as East of England Observatory East of England Development Agency, Government Office for the East of England, County Local Economic Partnerships, Local Govt Conference, Eastern Region Public Health Observatory Ease of England Development Agency, Regional Innovation Fund 9 per cent of 1 staff year London Not operational Greater London Authority None as yet Minimal South East Not operational Government Office of the South East, South East England Development Agency, Regional Assembly None as yet 10 per cent of 1 staff year South West Under Development South West Regional Assembly, South West Regional Development Agency, Department of Health, GOSW, Environment Agency, SW Higher Education Regional Development Association South West Regional Development Agency, Department of Health, Environment Agency, South West Regional Assembly 7 per cent of 1 staff year *Proposed Funding