Records of the Economic Planning Division and successors

Division within BD

1951-1994

Records of the Economic Planning Division and successors relating to economic planning in Wales, particularly regarding tourism.

Consists of files of the Economic Planning Division in BD 40 and tourism files of the Economic Planning Group, European Division, BD 92 and of the Economic and Regional Policy Group in BD 96.

Economic and Regional Policy Group, Economic and Regional Policy Divisions 1, 2 and 3: records relating to the Parrot Corporation: BD 120.

Economic and Regional Policy Group, Registered Files: BD 142.

Public Record(s)

English

• Welsh Office, Economic and Regional Policy Group, 1983-1992
• Welsh Office, Economic Planning Division, 1967-1983

5 series

Topics

Travel and tourism

In April 1963, the then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan announced that the Minister for Welsh Affairs should become responsible for a long-term survey of the different regions of Wales. In 1963, an Economic Intelligence Unit was formed in the office of the Minister of State for Welsh Affairs to co-ordinate this survey. The survey was aimed at forming a basis for the Government's future plans for land use and public investment and was also intended to provide a guide and stimulus for private investment. The general scope of the survey was to study past trends and future prospects of those social and economic factors affecting prosperity and to demonstrate what needed to be done to reach given objectives. These factors were to include the distribution and change of population and employment; transport facilities; environment and social services (housing, education etc); and the development potential of natural resources (tourism, agriculture and forestry, minerals and port facilities).

In 1964, the Unit was re-titled the Survey and Development Division when the Labour Government took office and announced new machinery to deal with economic planning in the regions of England and Wales. In Wales this responsibility rested with the newly created Secretary of State. An Economic Planning Board and an Economic Planning Council were established.

The Welsh Planning Board was made up of civil servants representing government departments in Wales concerned with regional planning and the Welsh Economic Council was an advisory body, with no executive powers, composed of nominated private individuals representing widely different types of experience within the Principality. The role of the Survey and Development Division was to co-ordinate the activities of the group and to perform all necessary secretarial duties.

The title of Survey and Development Division continued to be used until 1967 when it was changed to Economic Planning Division and continued to be so known until January 1983 when the Division broadened its responsibilities and became the Economic and Regional Policy Group.