§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the regional aid per capita in the financial year 1979–80 for Wales and each of the English regions and for Merseyside.
§ Mr. David MitchellEstimated expenditure per capita in the financial year 1979–80 on regional development grants, selective financial assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act, 1972 and on land and factory under the Local Employment Act 1972 in Wales, the English regions containing assisted areas, and Merseyside, is as follows:
Region/Area Expenditure per capita (£) 1979/80 Wales 36.1 North 47.9 North-West 13.4 Merseyside SDA 33.1 Yorkshire and Humberside 6.6 East Midlands 1.1 South-West 2.5 The regional preferential aid for the West Midlands totalled less than £0.1 million, and so is negligible in per capita terms.
All figures are shown gross at outturn prices, including payments under the relevant scheme to the nationalised industries. However, the expenditure under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 excludes payments of £15 million to the Ford Motor 239W Company and £1.1 million to BEI Ltd. which cannot be broken down by region.
Note that regional selective assistance to firms in Wales is administered by the Welsh Office, and responsibility for the construction of factories rests with the Welsh Development Agency.
Aside from expenditure on land and factories, there is no predetermined allocation of regional preferential expenditure between the various regions. Expenditure in each region depends on the level of application from eligible firms there for assistance with eligible projects or on eligible assets.