HC Deb 09 November 1988 vol 140 cc201-2W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people since 1975 have been directly employed on schemes receiving European regional development fund support in each standard planning region.

Mr. Atkins

Since its inception in 1975 the fund has contributed to a wide variety of infrastructure investments throughout the assisted areas, and to the cost of regional industrial assistance for many productive investments. These investments have created or maintained employment in the projects in question as well as providing construction work at the outset.

The European Commission has published, in its 12th annual report (1986) on the fund, an estimate that it has directly helped to create or safeguard 221,604 jobs in the United Kingdom.