House of Lords written statement – made at on 19 December 2012.
Lord Marland
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
My Right Honourable Friend the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise (Michael Fallon) has made the following Statement.
On
The Industrial Development Advisory Board is a statutory body which plays an important role providing independent and expert advice to Ministers on large capital investment projects in England, particularly applications under the Grant for Business Investment scheme or the Regional Growth Fund.
The review concludes that the functions performed by the Industrial Development Advisory Board are still required and that it should be retained as an advisory NDPB. The review also looked at the Governance arrangements for IDAB in line with guidance on good corporate governance set out by the Cabinet Office. The report makes some recommendations in this respect; these will be implemented shortly. The full report of the review of IDAB can be found on the BIS website and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
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