§ 2. Mr. Gwilym Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the number of selective financial assistance applications in Wales for 1981–82 and 1982–83.
§ The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Nicholas Edwards)There were 234 applications under section 7 of the Industrial Development Act in 1981–82 and 311 in the last financial year.
§ Mr. JonesI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer, as I feel that it underlines the increasing level of investment activity in Wales. However, can my right hon. Friend give us any intimation of the level of applications for financial assistance in the current financial year?
§ Mr. EdwardsThere is a rising tide of applications. In the first nine months of the current financial year the number has been at a record level, with 270 applications promising to create about 13,000 jobs and to safeguard 8,000 jobs. The level of acceptances—which is perhaps the most immediate and important factor—is also rising steadily.
§ Mr. WigleyIs the Secretary of State aware that the figures that he gave to me in an answer shortly before Christmas showed that only 1 per cent. of industrial grants paid in Wales in the past two years went to the county of Gwynedd? What is the cause of that failure, and what is the right hon. Gentleman doing to redress the balance?
§ Mr. EdwardsWe deal with applications from industrial companies, and I respond to specific applications. It is not perhaps surprising that many of the applications—particularly in this phase of the recovery—should come from some of the main industrial areas that are particularly attractive to the new technologies. However, I assure the hon. Gentleman that an application from his area receives the same attention as an application from one of the principal industrial locations.