HC Deb 17 January 1984 vol 52 cc160-1W
Mr. Gareth Wardell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish in the Official Report for each region in the United Kingdom the expenditure on regional preferential assistance for each year since 1974–75 at 1982–83 prices.

Mr. Trippier

Expenditure on regional preferential assistance in the regions of the United Kingdom between 1974–75 and 1982–83 at 1982–83 prices was as follows:

Expenditure* at 1982–83 prices
£ million
Regions 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83
Northern† 353 421 483 274 259 205 171 140 109
North West‡ 258 247 210 118 144 120 154 234 172
Yorkshire and Humberside 46 53 61 55 61 45 61 66 53
East Midands║ 14 7 6 5 7 6 5 9 14
South West 40 26 24 15 15 15 13 16 16
Scotland 398 575 427 242 240 164 214 235 371
Wales 209 232 228 159 172 145 200 211 182
Great Britain¶ 1,318 1,567 1,440 877 983 721 827 911 917
Northern Ireland● n.a. n.a. 173 157 184 150 159 115 146
Notes
Expenditure on 1982–83 price basis for each year is calculated by applying the appropriate deflator to expenditure at current prices.
* All figures are gross and include payments to nationalised industries.
† North East i.e. excludes Cumbria from 1981–82.
‡ Includes Cumbria from 1981–82.
║ Includes west midlands for earlier years. Oswestry TTWA lost its intermediate area status on 1 August 1982.
¶ Great Britain expenditure includes items which cannot be broken down to the regional level.
● Northern Ireland has a different range of financial incentives available but the figures have been restricted to aids similar to the main forms of regional preferential assistance.

The items included in the expenditure are regional development grants and regional selective financial assistance under the Industrial Development Act 1982 and expenditure on land and factories in the assisted areas by the English Industrial Estates Corporation and the Scottish and Welsh Development Agencies. Regional employment premium (discontinued in January 1977) has been included for the early years.