§ Q86. Mr. GregoryTo ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on Government support for the confectionery industry.
§ The Prime MinisterThe confectionery industry continues to be important both to the economy as a whole and to our exports. The Government's policies seek to promote a climate within which industry is encouraged to compete effectively, and with special and increasing emphasis on the opportunities offered by the wider internal market of the Community.
Currently food manufacturers are eligible to apply for assistance towards new capital investment under Government schemes administered by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment. These include a variety of measures described in the recent White Paper "DTI — the department for Enterprise". The industry is also covered by a range of measures from information and counselling to financial incentives designed to assist small business, including those in the confectionery manufacturing sector.