RDA - ARE WE GETTING OUT FAIR SHARE: THE south west region contributes nearly eight per cent of the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its growth has consistently out-performed the UK average.

Employment growth in the region has also outstripped that of the country as a whole. Between 1995 and 2000, the region created 155,000 new jobs and trailed only London and the south east for rate of growth.

There are almost 210,000 businesses in the south west, with most employing fewer than 10 people.

Compared with other regions, the south west has few large businesses and is host to only seven of the top 100 companies in the UK. This compares to 38 in the south east and 40 in London. However, it enjoys an above average business survival rate.

Almost five million people live in the South West, equivalent to 8.6 per cent of Britain's population.

These figures for the south west represent an increase of 3.9 per cent in the total population since 1991, outstripping the 2.5 per cent rate for Britain as a whole. Much of the growth has been due to the migration of families into the region from other parts of the UK.

Around two-thirds of the people who move to the south west are of working-age, although it is also popular with pensioners. Almost 19 per cent of the region's population is over 65 years of age.