Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Serdyukov, how have you been these past six months?

Valery Serdyukov: Mr Putin, I’ve been very well. Let me tell you why. We have seen steady growth in both industrial production and GDP in the past five years, amounting to 10-12%. The regional output is worth over one trillion roubles.

Vladimir Putin: What can you say about the results of the past six months?

Valery Serdyukov: The results are excellent. Industrial production has increased by 9.4%.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

Valery Serdyukov: The GDP has increased by 8%. The revenue is quite good. The overall number of enterprises is reducing and everything seems stable and steady. Thanks to investments, about 80% of the regional output, including farming, is produced using new technologies at the new enterprises that have been built in the past years. Last year’s profit was 240 billion roubles.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I know the investment flow is good. Mr Serdyukov, what is the state of housing construction?

Valery Serdyukov: Construction volume stands at 68 square metres per person. This year we will receive 1.12 million (roubles) and everything is going according to plan.

Vladimir Putin: Has there been any growth?

Valery Serdyukov: Yes, there has, and individual construction, or low-rise housing, accounts for around 40% of the increase.

Vladimir Putin: What is the situation with healthcare and education?

Valery Serdyukov: Mr Putin, we are paying very close attention to education. We have invested 17 billion roubles in education and 12 billion roubles in healthcare.

Vladimir Putin: You have agreed with the Ministry of Education on the federal funding for deputies and pay rises. Do you have any particular plans ahead of the new academic year?

Valery Serdyukov: Mr Putin, as of today a teacher’s monthly salary is 20,664 roubles.

Vladimir Putin: What is the average salary in the region?

Valery Serdyukov: The average salary is 21,700 roubles. Our target is to increase the salary up to 25,000 roubles until the end of the year.

Vladimir Putin: A teacher’s salary?

Valery Serdyukov: Yes. The average salary in education is 14,800 roubles if we take into account the general staff. A doctor’s average salary is 28,000 roubles.

Vladimir Putin: You have approved the healthcare modernisation programme, haven’t you?

Valery Serdyukov: Yes, we have.

Vladimir Putin: What is the amount of investments?

Valery Serdyukov: It is 2.5 billion from the federal budget and 1.6 billion from the regional budget, and our hospitals are not covered by the regional funding. The construction of a children’s hospital in Kirishy is funded from the regional budget. Therefore we can allocate 15.6 billion roubles for healthcare next year, which is nearly four billion more than this year.

Vladimir Putin: Good.