§ 10. Mr. Greenwayasked the Secretary of State for Industry what assistance his Department presently offers to industry in Ealing and west London; and if he has any plans to extend the range of this assistance.
§ Mr. MacGregorA wide variety of assistance is available. Examples are grants for large-scale manufacturing projects under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982; the support for innovation schemes and the small engineering firms investment scheme; and that loans can be obtained by small firms under the loan guarantee scheme. There is also a range of advisory services, including the Department's small firms service, the small firms technical inquiry service and the manufacturing advisory services.
10 I have no plans to extend the number of measures, but I am sure that there could be greater take-up in west London of the schemes, which is why I am keen to see more awareness of the possibilities under them.
§ Mr. GreenwayI thank my hon. Friend for his reply. Is he aware that regionally assisted schemes damage areas such as Ealing and west London, because they are never included? Will my hon. Friend resist pressure from the Opposition for more such schemes? Is he further aware of the grave damage that is being caused to industry in west London and Ealing—indeed, in London generally—by the failure of the Labour-controlled Greater London council among other things not only to maintain roads properly, so that traffic is slowed down, but to pass planning applications within a reasonable time? Can something be done about that?
§ Mr. MacGregorMy hon. Friend and I have debated his first point before. He knows that the Government's policy of concentrating regional aid on areas where it is most needed helps other parts of the country that suffered in the past because the aid coverage was so wide. The changes that the Government have made help west London.
I take note of my hon. Friend's second point. He will appreciate that I have no responsibility for the GLC regarding planning applications. The GLC can harm industry in west London and elsewhere by high rate increases and by not concentrating its expenditure in the most effective way.