§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been(a) applied for and (b) spent through the Regional Innovation and Competitiveness Development fund by rural local authorities in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03 to date. [78402]
§ Alan JohnsonIn 2000–01 the Competitiveness Development Fund (CDF) provided a funding stream from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to the nine English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to spend on priorities they identified for increasing competitiveness in their regions. The RDAs were allocated CDF of £9.7 million in 2000–01.
In 2001–02, the CDF was subsumed within the department's Regional Innovation Fund (RIF), which ran for one financial year before itself being subsumed within the 'Single Pot' financial arrangements applying to RDAs from 2002–03. The RIF similarly provided a funding stream to the RDAs, which was designed to enable them to support regional competitiveness, innovation and enterprise, and to support cluster development and business incubation in their regions. £54.1 million of RIF funding was allocated by DTI to the RDAs for this purpose.
The RDAs' use of Government funding is described in their audited annual reports and accounts. These are laid before Parliament each year before the summer recess