Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bach (Labour) on Thursday, 2 March 2006.

Agriculture: Single Regeneration Budget

Question
How much of the single regeneration budget is spent in the countryside in the current year, expressed in (a) monetary, and (b) percentage terms.
Answer

Since April 2002, England’s regional development agencies have been financed through a single programme budget (the ““single pot””). This replaced a range of funding programmes administered by the RDAs, such as the single regeneration budget, and through which each government department’s funding contribution to the RDAs was made. However, RDAs are required to meet legacy commitments to SRB rounds one to six from within their single programme resources.Money from the contributing Departments (DTI, ODPM, DfES, Defra, DCMS and UKTI) is pooled into one single budget (the single pot). Once allocated, funding is available to the RDAs to spend as they see fit, to achieve the regional priorities identified in regional economic strategies, and national priorities set out in the RDA tasking framework. One of the overarching PSA targets in the tasking framework is Defra’s rural productivity and access to services target, which requires RDAs to address the needs of rural communities. To support this, Defra’s contribution to the single pot has increased from £46 million in 2004–05 to £72 million in 2005–06.Given these arrangements, RDAs are not required to produce specific figures on the basis requested. However, RDAs do report on their achievements in delivering outputs on a six-monthly basis. From this year for the first time, outputs will also be disaggregated on a rural/urban/disadvantaged basis.How each RDA utilises its single pot allocation will vary according to regional need. Details of RDA priorities and planned spending can be found in individual RDA corporate plans, with six-monthly reports on performance setting out what has been achieved. These documents can be found on each RDA website.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
4108; 679 c88WA
Session
2005-06
Subjects
Finance Expenditure Rural areas Regional planning and development Regional development agencies
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk