HC Deb 30 June 1977 vol 934 cc280-1W
Mr. Wigley

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish a list of those incentives for manufacturing industries to invest and increase their employment in special development areas and development areas, that are not available outside these areas; and what is the annual cost of each of these schemes.

Mr. Cryer

The main incentives for manufacturing industry to invest in special development areas (SDAs) and development areas (DAs) which are not available elsewhere are:

Cost in 1976/77 £m
Regional development grants on new plant and machinery at 22% in SDAs and 20% in DAs 369.4
Regional development grants on 369.4 new buildings and works at 22% in SDAs and 20% in DAs (and in Intermediate Areas (IAs))
Regional selective financial assist ance (also available in IAs) 68.0
Government advance factories (also available in IAs) 20.5

Improved terms for regional selective financial assistance in SDAs were announced on 27th June.

In addition, industry in the SDAs and DAs is eligible for certain free training services, help for workers transferred from other areas and preferential treatment when tendering for Government contracts. In SDAs, small firms taking on additional employees will be eligible for a small firms employment subsidy as from 1st July 1977.

The figure for advance factories includes expenditure by the Scottish and Welsh Development Agencies.