(1)A regional development agency shall have the following purposes—
(a)to further the economic development and the regeneration of its area,
(b)to promote business efficiency, investment and competitiveness in its area,
(c)to promote employment in its area,
(d)to enhance the development and application of skills relevant to employment in its area, and
(e)to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom where it is relevant to its area to do so.
(2)A regional development agency’s purposes apply as much in relation to the rural parts of its area as in relation to the non-rural parts of its area.