Yorkshire and Humberside (Hansard, 18 July 1977)

§ 8. Mr. Edwin Wainwright
asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the financial assistance provided through his Department to the Yorkshire and Humberside Region during each of the past three years; and if he will give comparable figures; per 1,000 of the population of the financial aid given to Scotland, Wales, and the North-West and North-East Regions, respectively.

§ Mr. Cryer
I regret that the information for regional preferential expenditure is only separately available for the Yorkshire and Humberside intermediate area. I shall arrange for the figures for regional preferential expenditure and for expenditure under Section 8 of the 1972 Industry Act to be published in the Official Report.

§ Mr. Wainwright
Is my hon. Friend afraid to get the figures out early? Is he quite sure that Yorkshire is getting fair play from the Government? [Interruption.] I am not talking about Drax now. Is not my hon. Friend aware of the huge majority of people in Yorkshire who think that the Government are being too complacent about the large pockets of unemployment and the low wages in West Yorkshire? When will he do something about this?

§ Mr. Cryer
I do not want to take up time by reading out the figures, but when my hon. Friend reads them in the Official Report he will see that, for example, regional preferential expenditure between 1973–74 and 1975–76 more than doubled. He will also find that Yorkshire and Humberside has received the largest amount of assistance, at £8.3 million under Section 8 and a total of £40.9 million under the accelerated pro-

ESTIMATED REGIONAL PREFERENTIAL EXPENDITURE

1973–74 1974–75 1975–76

Yorkshire and Humberside Intermediate Area:

Total expenditure £ 9.6 m. £16.4 m. £23.0 m.

Per 1,000 of population £2,064 £3,527 £4,947

Northern Development Area:

Total expenditure £58.3 m £75.1 m. £121.2 m.

Per 1,000 of population £17,289 £22,272 £35,943

North West Region:

Total expenditure £31.8 m. £61.0 m. £71.3 m.

Per 1,000 of population £4,849 £9,302 £10,872

Scotland:

Total expenditure £64.6 m. £83.0 m. ^*£124.4 m.

Per 1,000 of population £12,408 £15,943 £23,895

1130 jects and industry schemes combined, in 1976–77. The Government are conscious of the difficulties, which my hon. Friend represents very well, and they are trying their best to ensure that such difficulties as the level of unemployment are reduced. I am sure my hon. Friend will bear in mind that Government powers are limited and that it is, by and large, a question of persuading industrialists to move to these areas and offering suitable inducements. In some cases this works. Where this does not work, the Government are pressing ahead as hard as they can.

§ Mr. Madden
Will my hon. Friend, in consultation with his right hon. and hon. Friends at the Department of the Environment, ensure that Yorkshire and Humberside receives its fair share of grants from the EEC Regional Fund and that special factors such as migration, industrial dereliction and so on are borne in mind when the grants are awarded rather than concentrating solely on unemployment statistics?

§ Mr. Cryer
My hon. Friend has a point. The EEC regional grants are applicable wherever Government grant aid is also available. For the Yorkshire and Humberside Region there is no incompatibility here. I shall hear my hon. Friend's remarks in mind.

§ Mr. Budgen
Does the Minister agree that, if we get out of the EEC Regional Fund more than we put in, we shall lose on other deals in the EEC and that we are unlikely to be a net gainer from any of these schemes?

§ Mr. Cryer
I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will be trying to catch your eye, Mr. Speaker, and take part in the debate later on, so that this sort of argument can be adduced further.

ESTIMATED REGIONAL PREFERENTIAL EXPENDITURE—continued
	1973.74	1974.75	1975.76
Wales:
Total expenditure	£48.4 m.	£57.3 m.	^*£64.4 m.
Per 1,000 of population	£17,504	£20,723	£23,291
Note: The figures Regional Development Grants, Regional Financial Assistance, the Investment Grant Differential, Local Employment Act residual expenditure and expenditure on land and factories.
^* The figures do not include expenditure by the offices for Scotland and Wales to which certain responsibilities for regional incentives were transferred during the course of the financial year.

OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE UNDER SECTION 8 OF THE INDUSTRY ACT 1972
	1974–75	Industry Schemes 1975–76	1976–77	Accelerated Projects Schemes 1975–76 and 1976–77	Totals
	No.	Value (£m.)	No.	Value (£m.)	No.	Value (£m.)	No.	Value (£m.)	No.	Value (£m.)
Yorkshireand Humber Side Region	105	5.9	81	4.9	110	8.3	11	21.8	307	40.9
North West Region	8	0.2	6	0.5	42	2.3	13	7.8	69	10.8
Northern Region	7	0.1	2	0.3	25	3.2	5	3.1	39	6.7
Scotland	10	0.9	6	0.1	55	6.2	6	2.1	77	9.3
Wales	Nil	Nil	1	^*	14	0.4	2	2.2	17	2.6
^* Negligible.

ESTIMATED REGIONAL PREFERENTIAL EXPENDITURE
	1973–74	1974–75	1975–76
Yorkshire and Humberside Intermediate Area:
Total expenditure	£ 9.6 m.	£16.4 m.	£23.0 m.
Per 1,000 of population	£2,064	£3,527	£4,947
Northern Development Area:
Total expenditure	£58.3 m	£75.1 m.	£121.2 m.
Per 1,000 of population	£17,289	£22,272	£35,943
North West Region:
Total expenditure	£31.8 m.	£61.0 m.	£71.3 m.
Per 1,000 of population	£4,849	£9,302	£10,872
Scotland:
Total expenditure	£64.6 m.	£83.0 m.	^*£124.4 m.
Per 1,000 of population	£12,408	£15,943	£23,895