§ Mr. Eadieasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many firms in Scotland have been refused Board of Trade grants because they were running bank overdrafts;
(2) what procedure his Department follows when dealing with firms which apply for Board of Trade grants when such firms are running bank overdrafts.
§ Mr. DarlingI assume that these Questions relate to grants under the Local Employment Acts. All applications for these grants are considered by the independent Board of Trade Advisory Committee in accordance with the Acts. A198W bank overdraft would be taken into account in the Committee's consideration but is unlikely to be the sole determining factor. The Committee does not give reasons for its decisions.