HC Deb 19 July 1967 vol 750 cc2116-7
85. Mr. James Johnson

asked the President of the Board of Trade what would be the estimated additional cost if investment allowances in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region were increased to half way between grants applying to development areas and to non-development areas as proposed to him by the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Economic Planning Council.

84. Mr. Haseldine

asked the President of the Board of Trade what would be the estimated additional cost if investment allowances in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region were increased to half way between grants applying to development and non-development areas.

Mr. Jay

I assume my hon. Friends are referring to investment grants.

A precise estimate is not possible; but at current levels of investment the cost would be of the order of £10 million a year.

Mr. James Johnson

Is the Minister aware that when he came to Hull we were all delighted to see him in the flesh, but his statement to industrialists and others did not please us? Will he look at this matter again, because in our position we have hard-core unemployment on the North Bank of the Humber compared with the South and the Midlands?

Mr. Jay

I was glad to meet my hon. Friend in Hull and to listen to all that he had to say.