§ 51. Major Bruceasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will provide particulars of the amount of Government aid since the end of the war to date, or to date of acquisition in the case of industries or services placed under national control since the end of the war, granted to each industry or service conducted under private ownership, distinguishing between loans, grants, direct investment and subsidies.
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§ Mr. JayI append to this reply tables giving the relevant figures for aid to privately-owned industries. The first table, for subsidies or grants, brings up to date the table circulated by my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary in reply to the hon. Member for Abertillery (Mr. Daggar) on 2nd November, 1948;
SUBSIDIES TO INDUSTRIES UNDER PRIVATE OWNERSHIP, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49 AND 1949–50 Actuals 1946–47 Actuals 1947–48 Actuals 1948–49 Voted 1949–50 £ £ £ £ Iron and Steel 7,673,500 7,938,000 7,085,000 4,300,000 Ferro-chrome 75,000 64,890 18,800 — Magnesium 335,790 107,000 — — Aluminium 953,100 — — — Watchmaking and Jewel manufacturing 76,880 181,130 146,615 130,000 Cotton spinning — — — 1,750,000 Coal stocking 346,106 154,791 329,134 370,000 Fuel oils and Kerosene 622,695 1,227,204 14,247 15,000 Canals and Canal Carriers 788,470 1,411,190 320,312 100 Coastal shipping 476,565 636,868 628,630 711,025 Harbours — — — 14,000 Agriculture 9,886,000 12,895,000 22,352,000 25,204,000 Herring industry 24,000 30,000 189,000 300,000 Civil Aviation 62,000 — — — NOTES. 1. The above list shows for 1946–47, 1947–48 and 1948–49 actual subsidies, and from 1949–50 the amounts included in the Estimates which have been voted by Parliament for subsidies to particular industries, excluding any discontinued between the date when the Estimates were approved and the beginning of the financial year. It does not include losses on trading by Government Departments (such as the trading loss on iron and steel due to sale at controlled prices of high cost imported steel and steel scrap and to changes in the level of stocks); nor does it include expenditure provided under general policies such as housing, social services, cost-of-living, the training, resettlement and transference of labour, distribution of industry, improvement of design or research. 2. The total charges to the Vote in respect of iron and steel and for both subsidies and trading losses were:
1946–47 … Actual … … £11,652,000 1947–48 … Actual … … £10,771,400 1948–49 … Actual … … £24,877,000 1949–50 … Voted … … £11,210,000 22W
ASSISTANCE TO INDUSTRIES UNDER PRIVATE OWNERSHIP BY LOANS OR DIRECT INVESTMENT, FROM 5TH APRIL, 1946 £ Iron and Steel … … … 571,383 Gas … … … 13,170 Handicrafts … … … 10,000 Harbours … … … 4,636 Agriculture … … … 66,920 Herring Industry … … … 125,000 Film Industry … … … 3,474,000 NOTES. 3. The above table shows for the financial years 1946–47, 1947–48 and 1948–49 and for the current year up to a very recent date the totals of assistance given to industries and services in private ownership by way of loan, purchase of shares etc. from voted moneys or from the Consolidated Fund. Repayments during the period by the private owners are deducted. Payments during the period in completion of purchases of shares made before 5th April, 1946 are excluded. 4. Loans and investments made in connection with general policies such as housing, social services, cost of living, the training, resettlement and transfer of labour, distribution of industry, improvement of design or research are excluded. 5. In the case of the herring and film industries, figures represent issues to the Herring Marketing Fund and the National Film Finance Corporation respectively. the latter table however included subsidies to the publicly-owned Airways Corporations, which are excluded in this table. The second table, for loans and direct investments, is prepared on a similar basis.
Following are the tables: