HC Deb 14 March 2001 vol 364 cc646-7W
Caroline Flint

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Don Valley constituency, the effects on Doncaster of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [153525]

Mr. Caborn

The Department has provided the following support for businesses in Doncaster since May 1997. Information at constituency level is not available in all cases.

Regional Selective Assistance (RSA)

RSA is a capital investment grant linked to the creation or safeguarding of jobs in designated areas of need. 57 RSA grant offers totalling £4.0 million have been made to businesses in the Doncaster district, to support projects with a total capital expenditure of £5.4 million, and to create and safeguard a total of 991 jobs. Within these figures 12 offers related to the Don Valley constituency where grant of £0.3 million was offered against capital spend of £2.8 million and the creation/safeguarding of 87 jobs.

Enterprise Grants

The Enterprise Grants scheme is a simplified scheme that was introduced in April 2000 to help small firms undertake fixed capital investment projects. Five offers totalling £106,500 have been made to firms in the Doncaster district, of which two were in the Don Valley constituency.

Smart

Smart awards are designed to help small firms with the introduction of new products and processes. Ten Smart awards totalling £576,444 have been made to firms in the Doncaster district, of which five were in the Don Valley constituency.

Business Link

Doncaster Chamber of Commerce and Business Link have provided services to small businesses in the Doncaster area (including the Don Valley constituency) since 1997. These include general and specialised advice to help businesses grow, export development counselling, ICT advice, and a full range of specialist information. From April 2001 these services will be provided by the Small Business Service operating through a new South Yorkshire Business Link with local concessions, including one in Doncaster. This new service will be more customer focused ensuring that services are driven by local need.