My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, the Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden), and I are today publishing a consultation paper: “Prosperous Places: Taking Forward the Review of Sub-national Economic Development and Regeneration”

We are consulting on three main issues—the implementation of new regional strategies; the creation of a duty on local authorities to carry out an economic assessment of their area; and options for a legal framework to encourage local authorities to collaborate on economic development.

This develops the plans set out in the review of sub-national economic development and regeneration that I announced to the House on 17 July 2007.

The consultation papers are available in the Libraries of both Houses and can also be accessed online at: http://www.bmgresearch.co.uk/SNR-Consultation.

The consultation will run until 17 June 2008. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs and I, and regional Ministers, will hold wide-ranging discussions over the next few months as part of this consultation.