§ Mr. Barnettasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the amount of investment grants outstanding in respect of claims made for periods under which payments are due; if he will estimate the amounts unclaimed through firms failing to make application; if he will give comparative figures adjusted for variation of rates of the original cost of the scheme, the actual cost and the projected cost; and if he will make a statement on the general working of the scheme to date.
§ Mr. DarlingAs stated to my hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr. Sheldon) on 19th July, the cost of investment grants in 1967 was expected to be about £200 million. This figure still stands. It relates to expenditure incurred by industry during 1966. It is not affected by the temporary increase in the rates of grant but allows for the acceleration of payments. By 1st December, 1967, 65,548 applications had been received representing expenditure of £1,027,852,000, 54,642 applications had been cleared and grants paid to the value of £188,977,000, £95,576,000 of this being to firms in Development Areas. Applications for 1966 are still coming in and I estimate that there is approximately £200 million of eligible expenditure on which claims may yet be made. I cannot, however, give a figure of the value of grants which will be paid on claims that have yet to be made and examined.—[Vol. 750, c. 259.]