HC Deb 26 February 1975 vol 887 c198W
Mr. Carson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Government factories are vacant in Northern Ireland; and what steps he is taking to attract potential tenants.

Mr. Orme

There are 10 new factories throughout Northern Ireland for which no firm commitment has yet been made. In addition, there are two unoccupied second-hand factories, and workshops and warehousing accommodation.

The Department of Commerce representatives in Belfast, London, Belgium, West Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Japan, and in three offices in the United States, are actively engaged in a continuing campaign to attract inward manufacturing investment. In 1974 this campaign involved the Department in the issue of more than 25,000 letters to selected industries and 900 interviews with industrialists in the United Kingdom and overseas. This work is supported by international advertising, visits and seminars.