§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the North East Shipbuilders Ltd./British Shipbuilders closure document as agreed between the United Kingdom Government and the EC in 1988;
(2) if he will list the package of aid approved by the EC in December 1988 intended to cover costs associated with the closure of North East Shipbuilders Ltd./British Shipbuilders.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answers 1 February' 1994]: No. It is not the Government's policy to make available the details of agreements entered into with the European Commission where, as in this case, they contain commercially sensitive information.
An aid package worth some £45 million in total was agreed for those affected by the closure. It comprised the following three main elements: first, an enterprise zone for 773W Sunderland; secondly, English Estates received £7 million for the provision of advance factory space; and, thirdly, some £10 million was made available over three years to Sunderland Enterprise and Training Ltd. and the Wearside Opportunity. This aid finance has been almost entirely taken up.