§ Dr. BrandTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will announce(a) the criteria for the tier 3 grant up to £75,000 and (b) the amount available to the regions of England; and if he will make a statement. [106152]
§ Mr. CabornThe information is as follows:
(a) My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 10 November 1999, Official Report, column 629W, a new discretionary Enterprise Grant scheme which would be available to SMEs in tier 3 and the Assisted Areas of the English regions. The aim is to target high quality projects with fixed capital investment of up to £500,000. There will be some regional variation in the delivery of the scheme through the Government Offices, taking account of the economic strategies of the Regional Development Agencies. Further details of the scheme's core criteria can be found in the scheme brochure, copies of which I have placed in the Libraries of the Houses.
(b) The budget for Enterprise Grant is £45 million over three years. The allocation for 2000–01 by region, based on 3-year average spending on Regional Selective Assistance cases at this level, will be as follows:
£000 Region Allocation for 2000–01 East 300 East Midlands 1,200 London 300 North East 3,000 North West 3,600 South East 900 South West 450 West Midlands 3,150 Yorkshire and Humberside 2,100 Total 15,000