§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what public service agreements and targets set by central Government regional development agencies are subject. [184982]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have been set a frame work of challenging targets which they must demonstrate their contribution to. Under the three-tier target framework, tier 1 targets restate their statutory purposes. Tier 2 are regional outcomes of interest to the funding Departments. Tier 3 are targets for direct outputs, achieved through RDA programme spend. These are listed as follows.
Tier 3 outputs:
Employment Opportunities;
Support the creation or safeguarding of x net jobs;
(ii) Brownfield Land:
Reclaim or remediate x hectares of previously developed land and buildings;
(iii) Education and Skills:
Support the creation of learning opportunities for x individuals;
(iv) Business Performance:
Support the creation and/or attract ion of x new businesses;
(v) Investment benefiting deprived areas:
Leverage through RDA funding and activity x pounds private sector investment benefiting residents of the most deprived wards
Each RDA has the same core targets, though the numbers differ region by region, and activities aimed at meeting them and addressing regional needs are described in the Regional Economic Strategy developed with regional stakeholders.
As set out in the Devolved Decision Making Review (March 2004), the DTI, working in partnership with other Government Departments is coordinating the implementation of a new approach to tasking the RDAs in time to come into effect from April 2005.
The new framework will help the RDAs and Departments to work on regional priorities in a way that also serves national interests more effectively. It will provide clearer direction by simplifying targets and making them more relevant to vs hat the Agencies are trying to do.