§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the employment impact of his Department's schemes of regional financial assistance since 1984 in(a) each region and (b) each travel-to-work area.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answer 18 November 1992]: Of the regional financial assistance schemes run by my Department only regional selective assistance, available in the assisted areas of England, is conditional on employment being either created or safeguarded. From April 1984 to end October 1992 the following employment by region was either created or safeguarded.
Created Safeguarded Total East Midlands 3,753 419 4,172 North East 30,467 8,319 38,786 North West 30,566 13,215 43,781 South West 7,664 1,393 9,057 West Midlands 39,249 13,189 52,438 Yorkshire and Humberside 18,232 6,190 24,422 England 129,931 42,725 172,656 The revised regional development grants scheme which was introduced in development areas in November 1984 and was closed to new applications in March 1988, also had a jobs link. No grant was paid to undertakings employing more than 200 people unless their projects created employment. Up to the end of October 1992 these projects created the following jobs.
Jobs East Midlands 8,240 North East 51,823 North West 41,223 South West 5,896 Yorkshire and Humberside 15,042 England 122,224 Information by travel-to-work area is available only at disproportionate cost.
My Department also provides assistance under the regional enterprise grants scheme. Projects supported by this scheme have created employment; however, as grant was not directly linked to job creation, employment data were not collected.