§ Mr. DevlinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost to the Exchequer of enterprise zones in the north-east region of England since 1979; and what has been the cost of each enterprise zone.
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe table shows the costs to the Exchequer of rates revenue forgone and infrastructure costs attributable to the enterprise zone scheme since 1979–1994–95 prices.
Rates forgone £ million Infrastructure EZ costs £ million Tyneside 110,8 16.4 Hartlepool 9.7 1.0 Middlesbrough 10.2 1.6 Sunderland 1.6 7.2 Total 132.3 26.2 The costs to the Exchequer of the accelerated capital allowances available on enterprise zones are estimated by an indirect method and are not reliable below national level. The estimated cost of these allowances for all enterprise zones in Great Britain up to October 1993 is £655 million.