§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what has been the cost(a) each year and (b) in total since their inception of the regional bodies in the South West that fall under the remit of his Department; what responsibilities these regional bodies hold; what these regional bodies' total budgets are; that assessment he has made of their impact; and if he will make a statement. [186538]
§ Mr. RaynsfordThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for no regional bodies in the South West. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for the Government Office for the South West, which is part of central Government and is not a regional body in its own right.
1180WMy right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has designated a regional chamber for the South West, under the terms of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998. However, the chamber is an independent, voluntary body and is not the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister makes a grant to the chamber to help it fulfil its responsibilities.
Since designation in 1999 the regional chamber has been responsible for scrutinising the work of the South West Regional Development Agency and since 2003 has been the recognised Regional Planning Body for the South West. The chamber has been allocated the following maximum levels of grant:
£ 2001–02 500,000 2002–03 600,000 2003–04 1,613,000 2004–05 2,101,000