§ Mr. J. Griffithsasked the President of the Board of Trade how many industrial development certificates were granted and how many refused in the London, southern and south-eastern regions in 1961; and what was the number of new jobs made available by the projects for which industrial development certificates were granted.
§ Mr. ErrollFive hundred and eighty-nine certificates covering 13.7 million square feet were granted and 58 covering 2.7 million square feet were refused during 1961. The firms concerned estimated that the projects for which certificates were granted would eventually employ an additional 18,000 people.
The certificates granted were mainly for extensions to existing capacity which could not be moved elsewhere or for projects serving the local population. In addition to the number of applications refused, many projects were not pursued when discussion with my officials had shown that it was unlikely that certificates would be granted. The additional jobs created by the grant of certificates represent an increase of 0.7 per cent. in the numbers employed in manufacturing industry in these Regions, as compared with a figure of 1 per cent. for Great Britain as a whole.