§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied that his regional policy is not drawing firms away from ineligible areas to those where special grants are available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TrippierRegional assistance is intended to influence investment decisions with the aim of reducing imbalances in employment opportunities on a stable, long-term basis. The new regional development grant scheme announced in the recent White Paper will be made more cost-effective by being linked directly to job creation and in this case the number of jobs created by a project will be calculated net of any related reduction in employment in the assisted areas. For regional selective assistance, however, re-location projects will normally be excluded where there is no net increase in jobs in the United Kingdom as a whole.