§ Mr. RichardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the urban investment grant scheme will be transferred to the Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement. [41073]
§ Mr. HagueTransfer of responsibility for the urban investment grant—UIG—scheme was deferred from 1 April to 1 October 1996 to allow the WDA not only to administer new projects but to act as my agent for existing UIG agreements and for projects where grant was approved subject to the successful conclusion of a legal agreement falling within the WDA's statutory powers. This increased level of responsibility was made possible through section 130 of the Housing Grants Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, which came into force on 25 September. I appointed the WDA to be my agent in relation to these matters from 1 October 1996.
Also from 1 October 1996, for new business, I have asked the WDA to offer incentives similar to those previously available under the Welsh Office's UIG scheme to promote the economic regeneration of derelict land and buildings in urban areas. For 1996–97, £3.882 million will be transferred to the WDA to fund on-going and new projects.
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