Businesses and the Regions

I believe that all of the Ministers of the regions are doing a good job in working with business, and I include the Minister for the East of England. It is now a decade since the Government created the regional development agencies, though I note that the Opposition voted against the Bill that created them. Those organisations, together with business, local authorities and other local partners, have played an important role in fostering economic development in their areas, be it the new media city in Salford, the North East Productivity Alliance aimed at lean manufacturing, or the east midlands redevelopment to create the UK's largest bioscience and innovation centre. Wherever we go, we can see value-added examples in which those organisations have been important partners.