Written question asked by Jamie Cann (Labour) on Monday, 29 March 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 13 April 1999. It was answered by Alan Meale (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 April 1999 on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, when the regional chamber in the Eastern Region will be officially established.

Answer: Mr. Cann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the regional chamber in the Eastern Region will be officially established. [79610] Mr. Meale: There is no formal date set for the official establishment of the East of England Regional Chamber. According to the RDA Act, before a body can become the Regional Chamber for a Regional Development Agency, it needs to be designated as such by the Secretary of State. This designation has not yet occurred in this case. However, a draft application and supporting papers were sent to DETR's Regional Policy Unit on 8 March. These papers are currently under consideration within the Department. A formal request for designation will be made by the Chamber in the next couple of weeks, once the minutes from the Chamber's inaugural meeting have been agreed. The process of designation is a lengthy one. After an application is received, consultations need to be made within the Department. A submission must then be put before Ministers and a further consultation will follow. The Regional Development Agency must then be consulted before a final decision is made. Therefore it is not possible to state when the East of England Regional Chamber will be officially established.

Secondary information