Regional Development Agencies: Trade Unions Robert Neill To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), of 9 January 2008, Official Report, column 676W, on regional development agencies: trade unions, what grants were given by each regional development agency to (a) trade unions and (b) the Trades Union Congress from the date of their establishment to the start of the period covered in the answer. Mr. McFadden RDAs fund initiatives through a variety of third party organisations to deliver projects to increase economic growth, such as on work force development and economic inclusion. The specific focus and priorities of such activities are set out in each region’s regional economic strategy and will differ according to the needs, opportunities and priorities for economic growth in each region. The following funding has been provided by RDAs to trade unions as requested in the question. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |RDA|Trade union |Project |Grant (£000)| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |AWM|Unity Trade Union |Work force development project, ensuring individuals subject to redundancy were aware of skills in demand in their local area|333 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |YF |National Farmers Union|Research on rural development project |38 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following funding has also been provided by RDAs to the Trades Union Congress as requested in the question. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |RDA |Project |Grants (£000)| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |AWM |Improving workplace skills across the West Midlands region |307 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |EEDA |Raising basic skills in the workplace |189 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |LDA |Trade union participation in regional economic development. Strengthening London trade unions capacity for more effective input to the design and delivery of economic policy and programmes |225 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |LDA |Adult Learners Week Fund, LDA/Union Learn/SERTUC partnership to stimulate learning in workplaces with trade union representation where union learning representatives recruit and support learners |289 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |NWDA |Capacity and effectiveness of trade union learning representatives. Research-based project commissioned by UCLAN to look at capacity and effectiveness of trade union learn representatives across the region|68 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |ONE |TUC and ONE “Working Together” project. Helping local businesses raise their profile |191 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |SWRDA|Trade unions working for the South West |427 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |SWRDA|TUC Learning Services |8 | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |SWRDA|Equalities South West |78 | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------