§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the grants and loans provided by his Department to businesses, together with the criteria they have to meet in order to obtain the subsidy. [28182]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe Department provides grants directly to businesses under the following schemes:
- Single regeneration budget challenge fund
- City challenge
- Regional enterprise grant
- Environmental technology innovation scheme (now closed to new applications)
- Small company environmental and energy management assistance scheme
- Grants under the Water Industry Act 1991 towards national security measures in the water industry
- Grants under the Industrial Development Act 1982 towards water and sewerage infrastructure in assisted areas
- Grants under the Water Industry Act 1991 towards rural water and sewerage projects.
The Department does not provide any loans directly to businesses.
There are no overarching criteria for the above grant schemes; the criteria for each scheme are dependent on it's individual aims and objectives. However, all recipients have to satisfy the Department that their application offers value for money and that there will be satisfactory controls over the funds received. Any business which would wish to apply for a grant or a loan under one of the above schemes can find out the specific criteria it would need to satisfy by contacting my Department.
The grants listed are paid directly by the Department of the Environment to businesses. In addition, the Department also funds other bodies, including local authorities and non-departmental public bodies, who will themselves support businesses through grants and loans.