§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many companies, by standard planning region, who were successful under the small firms merit award for research and technology stage I, were successful in stage II;
557W(2) how many applications he received from companies in each standard planning region under the small firms merit award for research and technology stage II; how many were approved in each region; and how many had been successful in stage I.
§ Mr. Leigh[holding answer 11 February 1992]: The stage 2 SMART competition is open only to those who won stage 1 the previous year. Firms unsuccessful in stage 1 cannot enter stage 2. In 1991 there were 134 entries for the stage 2 competition, 103 of which have been successful as follows:
Region/territory Number of entries Number successful East 14 10 East Midlands 16 11 North East 5 4 Northern Ireland 4 4 North West 11 9 Scotland 16 13 South East 22 12 South West 14 12 Wales 12 11 West Midlands 11 9 Yorkshire and Humberside 9 8