§ Mr. DenhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list each piece of legislation within the responsibility of his Department which bestows economic development powers or economic development assistance on local authority areas and which are based, in whole or in part, on statistics related to the relevant travel-to-work area.
§ Mr. Robin SquireSection 33 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 provides all principal local authorities with a power to take such steps as they may from time to time consider appropriate for promoting the economic development of their area. The Local Government (Promotion of Economic Development) Regulations 1990 limit the giving of grants, loans and guarantees to a business conducted with a view to profit to a total of £10,000 per business per annum, unless the local authority providing the assistance is listed in schedule 1 to the regulations (as amended). One of the criteria for scheduling is that the local authority, in whole or in part, falls within a travel-to-work area with above average unemployment.
Section 13 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 empowers the Secretary of State to make grants in the assisted areas for the improvement of a basic service for which he is responsible. Local authorities would be eligible to apply for such assistance.