§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Minister of Technology if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the value of grants and loans, respectively, made from public funds to the electronics, aircraft, shipbuilding, engineering, chemical, motor industries, respectively, in each financial year from 1963–64 to 1967–68, inclusive, and the amount of interest on any such loans paid to the Treasury by each of the industries concerned in these years.
§ Mr. BennThe figures for grants and loans for which I am responsible (including payments in the earlier years in pursuance of responsibilities subsequently transferred to my Department) are:
215W
INTEREST ON LOANS £ million 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 Electronics Industry — — — — — Aircraft Industry — — — — 0.1 Shipbuilding Industry — — — * 0.1 Engineering Industry — — — — — Chemical Industry — — — — — Motor Industry — — — — — — — — — 0.2 * Less than £50,000. These industries will also have received assistance by means of grants and loans from funds administered by other Departments.
Grants and loans represent only a small part of the civil industrial support given in various ways by my Department. In total this amounted to rather over £75 million in 1967–68 (excluding the effort in Establishments).