§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total number of staff working in the Government Office for the Regions in each region is; what change in staff numbers there would be in regions where an elected regional assembly is established; and what the total savings would be consequent on these reductions. [149648]
§ Yvette CooperThe total number of staff currently working in the Government Office by region is:
Government Office Number of staff London 296 East 266 West Midlands 320 East Midlands 283 North West 351 North East 256 Yorkshire and Humber 306 South West 344 South East 320 The number of people that may transfer from each Government Office when an elected assembly is created will vary between regions. But it will probably be between 60 to 100, based on existing staffing levels for the activities that would be expected to transfer to an elected regional assembly, including responsibility for administering EU structural funds.
It is estimated that about £5 million per year of the running costs of regional assemblies will be directly off-set because staff will be transferring from existing bodies, including the region's Government Office.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what additional scrutiny the regional chambers in each of the English regions have undertaken since 2001. [149702]
§ Mr. RaynsfordSince 2001, the regional chambers have undertaken a variety of scrutiny activities in respect of the work of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), funded by Government grant. Chambers report to the region on the work of the RDAs and provide recommendations that seek to improve their effectiveness.
169WThe reports and recommendations arising from these activities are published and widely disseminated to regional partners. Chambers usually issue between two and four reports every year