HC Deb 14 March 2003 vol 401 cc485-7W
Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many schemes under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 in each of the last six years have covered a specific geographical area within the UK. [102803]

Alan Johnson

14 schemes cover or have covered regional or national areas over the last six years, as follows:

Regional Enterprise Grant Scheme:

  • Regional Innovation Grant Scheme (Wales)—1988 to date
  • Regional Investment Grants (Scotland and Wales)—1988 to 1997

Wales Trade International Trade Promotion Schemes—2001Assembly Investment Grant Scheme (Wales)—from 2002Rover Task Force: an element of the modernisation and diversification programme (West Midlands)—2001 to dateOne off payment to Atlantic Telecom's Administrators to maintain services for sufficient time to allow customers in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester to switch to alternative suppliers—2001Support for redundancy payments at Scottish Coal (Deep Mine) Ltd.'s Longannet Colliery—2002 to dateSupport for redundancy payments at UK Coal's Selby Complex, in Yorkshire (subject to negotiation with the European Commission)—from 2003

Schemes administered by the Small Business Service that are available only in

England:

  • Enterprise Fund—Early Growth Funding, from 2002
  • Enterprise Fund—Regional Venture Capital Funds, from 2002
  • Enterprise Grant Scheme, from 2000
  • Phoenix Fund—Community Development Finance Institutions, Challenge Fund, from 2001
  • Phoenix Fund—Community Development Venture Capital Fund, from 2002
  • Business Incubation Fund, from 2003

Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many schemes under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 in Scotland have been funded(a) wholly and (b) partly by her Department. [102801]

Alan Johnson

Seven UK wide programmes operating in Scotland over the last six years were funded wholly by my Department, as follows:

  • Enterprise Fund—Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme
  • Enterprise Fund—UK High Technology Fund
  • Phoenix Fund—support for Community Development Finance Institutions, Loan Guarantees
  • UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme
  • New ISERBS—Iron and Steel Re-adaptation Benefit Scheme
  • Urban Post Office Reinvention Programme
  • Support for redundancy payments at Scottish Coal (Deep Mine) Ltd.'s Longannet Colliery

The Department and the Scottish Executive provided a joint package of support in 2001 to Atlantic Telecom's administrators to maintain a fixed wireless network for sufficient time to allow customers to switch to alternative suppliers.

Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many schemes in Scotland have been funded under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 in each of the last six years. [102802]

Alan Johnson

The use of Section 8 for schemes in Scotland only is a matter for the Scottish Executive. Eight UK wide schemes available in Scotland have been funded by my Department, or by the former Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, over the last six years. Three other schemes have been funded by the Scottish Executive, one of them jointly with my Department. A number of the schemes were introduced more than six years ago. The schemes or single payments were:

Small Business Service:

  • Enterprise Fund—Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme—1981 to date
  • Enterprise Fund—UK High Technology Fund—from 2001
  • Phoenix Fund—support for Community Development Finance Institutions, Loan Guarantees—from 2000

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions:

  • Small Company Environmental and Energy Management Assistance Scheme (SCEEMAS)—1995 to 1999

Regional Enterprise Grant Scheme:

  • Regional Innovation Grants (Scotland)—1988 to 1995
  • Regional Investment Grants (Scotland)—1988 to 1997
  • UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme—2000–02
  • New ISERBS—Iron and Steel Employees Re-adaptation Benefit Scheme—
  • 2001 to date
  • One off payment to Atlantic Telecom Administrators———2001
  • Urban Post Office Reinvention Programme—2002 to date
  • Support for redundancy payments at Scottish Coal (Deep Mine) Ltd.'s Longannet Colliery—2002 to date

Information about section 8 schemes and payments can be found in the annual reports laid before Parliament as required by the Industrial Development Act 1982. The most recent Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2002 was published on 30 September 2002 and is available in the Library of the House, and on the Stationery Office's website at: http://www.officialdocuments.co.uk/documentideps/hc/hc1007/1Q07.pdf. The Report includes information on the individual section 8 schemes.