§ Mr. HallTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the conditions attached to each Government grant to the Ford factory at Halewood since 1974 indicating whether they were conditional on job creation or job protection and when those conditions were met. [15256]
§ Mr. Greg Knight[holding answer 11 February 1997]: Grant payments given under the regional development grants scheme between 1974 and 1987 required the relevant assets to remain in place for a minimum of four years. Payments were not linked to job creation or safeguarding. The scheme provided for recovery of a proportion of the grant where the conditions were not met in full.
Grant payments given under the RDG scheme between 1991 and 1992 were based on set targets for capital expenditure and job creation. The assets were required to remain in place for a minimum of three years and the jobs for 18 months following the completion of the project. The scheme provided for withholding and recovery of grant where these conditions were not met. One project remains within these conditions until 31 December 1997.
223WGrants given under the RSA scheme were phased over a number of years against targets for capital spend and the creation and safeguarding of jobs. Final payments were made on the satisfactory completion of the projects and were based on the actual capital spend and jobs achieved. From November 1984, assets were required to remain in place for a minimum of three years and the jobs for 18 months following the completion of the project. None of these grants remains within the conditions of the scheme.
§ Mr. HallTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list Government assistance to the Ford factory at Halewood prior to 1974(a) at current prices and (b) at constant prices. [15257]
§ Mr. Knight[holding answer 11 February 1997]: Information about all Government assistance awarded prior to 1974 is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. HallTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list(a) the dates on which Government grants to the Ford factory at Halewood authorised after 1974 were paid and (b) the amounts in constant prices using the gross domestic product deflator for 1995–96. [15255]
§ Mr. Knight[holding answer 11 February 1997]: Payments made by the Department under the regional development grants and regional selective assistance schemes were as follows:
£000 (1995–96 prices) RDGI RDGII RSA Total 1974 188 188 1975 5,816 5,816 1976 7,092 7,092 1977 1,952 1,952 1978 933 66,235 67,168 1979 1,187 20,199 21,386 1980 15,887 4,067 19,954 1981 27,235 27,235 1982 11,618 11,618 1983 7,310 7,310 1984 6,167 6,167 1985 1,680 1,680 1986 12,820 12,820 1987 949 4,154 5,103 1988 1,711 1,711 1989 3,640 3,640 1990 476 475 1991 4,371 4,371 1992 3,657 483 4,141 Total 100,834 8,028 100,965 209,827