§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the statutory bodies concerned with job creation and industrial development in Northern Ireland are required to meet any specific targets and objectives during the current financial year.
§ Mr. Adam ButlerDuring the current financial year the industrial development institutions in Northern 165W Ireland—the Department of Commerce, the Northern Ireland Development Agency and the Local Enterprise Development Unit—were not required to meet specific targets in terms of job promotion figures. The general objectives to which the institutions operate were outlined in the recently published document "Industrial Development in Northern Ireland—A Framework for Action", a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library, and the general objectives for NIDA and LEDU are laid down by the Department of Commerce.
In the case of Enterprise Ulster, this body was set the objective of reducing its average cost per employee from £7,032, at 1980–81 prices, in 1980–81 to around £5,600, at current prices, in 1981–82. Enterprise Ulster was also asked to provide training places for 400 young persons under the youth opportunities programme.