§ 4. Mr. Hicksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what additional funds are to be made available to the Development Commission for advance factories and nursery factory units in Devon and Cornwall; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Mr. Denis Howell)I have yet to announce the Development Commission's grant-in-aid for 1979–80. This year £15.5 million was made available compared with £7.6 million in 1977–78.
The Commission expects to spend about £8 million on factory building this year, more than twice as much as last year. Of this, about £1.7 million will go to Devon and Cornwall.
§ Mr. HicksDoes the Minister agree that, judging by past performance, his Department should be more aggressive in its negotiations with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of the need to gain a reallocation of resources for this purpose, particularly bearing in mind what is given to similar agencies in Wales and Scotland?
§ Mr. HowellI should have thought that the fact that the grant went up this year from £7.6 million to £15.5 million—more than double—was an example of the Government's concern for the need for development. The hon. Gentleman must not ask for more public expenditure, and he must not ask for any reallocation of resources when so many of our social problems are to be found in the industrial cities.