My honourable friend the Minister for Local Government (John Healey) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs (Pat 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 www.bmgresearch.co.uk/SNR-Consultation.

The consultation will run until 17 June 2008. My honourable 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.