Oral Answers to Questions — Business, Innovation and Skills – in the House of Commons at 9:30 am on 8 November 2012.
Clive Betts
Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Chair, Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
9:30,
8 November 2012
What recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created by the regional growth fund.
Michael Fallon
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The regional growth fund will generate over half a million gross jobs over the period 2011-2021, with 80% of the impact coming in the first five years. Some 300,000 jobs will be delivered by projects and programmes in rounds 1 and 2, and 240,000 from bids selected for round 3. In rounds 1 and 2, eight out of 10 projects and programmes have now started and 149 bidders have now signed final agreements.
Clive Betts
Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Chair, Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Chair, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
When the regional development agencies were in existence, they provided important match funding to enable European regional development fund money to be properly used. When the Communities and Local Government Committee looked at this, we suggested that a portion of the regional growth fund be earmarked to ensure that all our ERDF money could be properly spent. That suggestion was turned down. If we do not spend all the ERDF money to ensure that we create the maximum number of jobs, will it be the Minister’s responsibility or that of his colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government?
Michael Fallon
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
We are certainly looking at how we can spend money better in the next seven-year framework. There has been underspend, not least because there were so many programmes. I am trying to rationalise and simplify them, working with colleagues in the three other Departments affected. The House will want to note that the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward employed 434 people and spent a large amount of public money, but did not leverage in anything like the amount of private sector money that the new regional growth fund is doing.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
