Ministers appear before East Midlands Committee

• Video and Audio: East Midlands Development Agency; Regional Economic Strategy
• East Midlands Committee

The East Midlands Regional Select Committee of the House of Commons is conducting an inquiry into the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) and the Regional Economic Strategy (RES).

The Committee's inquiry is looking at:

• the role, responsibilities and accountability of the EMDA,
• the process by which the RES was drawn up and the level of involvement of regional stakeholders,
• the effectiveness of the RES for the East Midlands in delivering against its targets,
• the effect of the financial and economic situation on businesses in the region including the effect on different sectors and the impact on local employment, and how well EMDA is meeting needs in the challenging economic climate,
• the changes to regional policy proposed in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill and the potential effect on the work of the EMDA,
• the role of other Government agencies such as the Government Office for the East Midlands, and of partnerships between Government agencies, local government and the private sector, in delivering the aims of the RES,
• the way the EMDA's resources are divided between rural and urban parts of the East Midlands, and whether the division is appropriate, and
• how well the EMDA is performing on sustainability.