HL Deb 30 June 1998 vol 591 cc70-1WA
Lord Dean of Beswick

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many jobs in each of the last five years have been created by each of the following: (a) the Scottish Development Agency; (b) the Welsh Development Agency; (c) the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board; (d) their counterparts in the English regions; and what has been the expenditure each year by each of these organisations in order to attract these jobs. [HL2239]

The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis)

Comparable information on job creation covering the whole of the UK over this period is only available in respect of inward investment. The following figures of jobs created and safeguarded by inward investment are based on annual results announced by the Invest in Britain Bureau:

Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1996–97
Scotland 9,928 2,069
Wales 10,397 2,256
Northern Ireland 4,135 3,070
East 925 470
East Midlands 1,306 4,770
London 2,651 1,205
North East 3,089 4,474
North West 1,456 2,332
South East 3,905 1,916
South West 682 4,218
West of England 1,622 2,510
West Midlands 4,387 15,351
Yorkshire & Humberside 1,887 3,503

Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1995–96
Scotland 9,092 2,728
Wales 4,429 4,602
Northern Ireland 3,741 710
East 372 1,881
East Midlands 1,437 927
London 2,588 2,235
North East 6,075 7,433
North West 3,622 2,073
South East 5,385 13,482
South West 1,468 742
West of England 250 1,900
West Midlands 7,034 4,467
Yorkshire & Humberside 2,004 7,527
UK 0 1,500
Region not specified 0 120

Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1994–95
Scotland 7,678 3,117
Wales 3,151 2,084
Northern Ireland 3,251 2,008
East 842 1,620
East Midlands 3,028 8,642
North East 5,780 3,871
North West 1,986 5,417
South East 3,273 14,895
South West 1,386 707
West Midlands 4,797 7,469
Yorkshire & Humberside 3,152 3,867
London 27 0

Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1993–94
Scotland 7,635 4,639
Wales 3,913 2,651
Northern Ireland 3,030 601
East 482 1,231
East Midlands 3,218 210
North East 2,256 3,981
North West 2,427 2,312
South East 916 5,950
South West 1,065 1,112
West Midlands 3,370 43,069
Yorkshire & Humberside 2,329 3,998

Jobs created Jobs safeguarded
1992–93
Scotland 4,497 4,198
Wales 2,382 4,939
Northern Ireland 2,742 1,357
East 363 10,632
East Midlands 183 405
North East 2,312 3,210
North West 992 3,763
South East 1,212 6,128
South West 285 995
West Midlands 1,568 2,669
Yorkshire & Humberside 1,286 5,229

These figures reflect all inward investment notified to the Invest in Britain Bureau whether or not assisted in any way by regional agencies. It is therefore not possible to provide agency cost figures which bear any meaningful relationship to these job figures.

The range of activities of the agencies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also goes wider than inward investment. Counterpart agencies with a similar range of activities have not existed in the English regions over this five-year period. However, regional development agencies will be created in each of the English regions on 1 April 1999.