HC Deb 29 April 2004 vol 420 cc1234-6W
Mr. Trimble

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs were created(a) by inward investment projects and (b) through business associated with agreed inward investment projects, for each year from 1998 and expressed as a percentage of the figure for the UK as a whole. [168213]

Mr. Gardiner

The information is as follows:

(a) Table 1 details the number of jobs created by inward investment projects assisted during the five year period commencing 1995–96. While the question asks for each year from 1998, it should be recognised that since assisted projects take some time to reach maturity, it has not been practice to produce job creation figures until four years subsequent to the offers of assistance being made. Therefore, this answer covers only two of the years requested but has been expanded to include the previous three years.

Table 1: Job Creation by Inward Investors
Financial Year Job creation up to March 2003
1999–2000 5,284
1998–99 2,856
1997–98 4,187
Table 1: Job Creation by Inward Investors
Financial Year Job creation up to March 2003
1996–97 4,426
1998–99 2,856
1995–96 2,979
Total 19,732

To provide a more up to date picture of inward investment activity Table 2 presents the number of jobs promoted by inward investment projects during the five year period from 1998–99.

Table 2: Job Creation by Inward Investors
Financial Year Table 2: Jobs Promoted By Inward Investors
2002–03 1,033
2001–02 2,526
2000–01 5,506
1999–2000 6,584
1998–99 4,162
Grand Total 19,811

Previous evidence provided by the Industrial Development Board (IDE) to the Northern Ireland Audit Office showed that approximately 70 per cent. of jobs promoted were created and a similar proportion of grant offered was actually paid.

Legal advice and

assistance (LAA)

Claims

Advice by way of

representation

(ABWOR)

Applications

Children Order

Applications

Civil

Applications

Criminal

Applications

1998–99
Received 57,969 5,633 5,506 15,813 19,729
Granted 5,121 4,600 6,713 19,190
Refused 79 71 2,358 539
1999–2000
Received 45,292 5,798 5,198 14,109 20,063
Granted 5,285 4,950 12,586 19,394
Refused 408 244 4,439 669
2000–01
Received 46,656 5,622 5,133 14,097 19,344
Granted 5,157 4,824 11,480 18,681
Refused 177 123 2,847 663
2001–02
Received 41,949 5,797 5,708 14,997 17,820
Granted 5,440 5,403 9,011 17,303
Refused 235 181 2038 517
2002–03
Received 55,292 5,745 5,999 13,569 21,732
Granted 5,351 5,656 11,102 20,941
Refused 316 252 3,167 791

Mr. Beggs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost of legal aid was in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [168196]

Mr. Lammy

I have been asked to reply.

The following table sets out the total cost of legal aid in Northern Ireland from 1998–99 to 2002–03:

(b) No estimates are available concerning the secondary impacts associated with inward investment projects.

At present Invest NI has no statistically robust method of producing comparative figures regarding job promotion/creation figures achieved by the UK as a whole. Invest NI intends over the coming year to engage with UK Trade and Investment to develop an approach which will enable such comparisons to be made on a consistent basis. Nevertheless, Invest NI, and previously the IDB has indicative evidence to suggest that Northern Ireland's share of new contestable UK Foreign Direct Investment from the manufacturing and international tradeable service industry sectors is in the region of 10 per cent.

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