§ Dame Irene Wardasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the recent public expenditure measures taken by the Government to assist development and intermediate areas and to promote employment, giving the estimated share of the Northern Region where this is possible.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThe following are the main public expenditure measures which have already been announced:
1. Increased financial assistance for house improvement in local government areas wholly or partly within development or intermediate areas. The additional expenditure is estimated to be at least £53 million, of which the Northern Region might account for about a third.
2. Increased expenditure on infrastructure works, such as schools, hospitals and roads, in development and intermediate areas. Of the estimated total expenditure of about £164 million, the Northern Region's share at present seems likely to be of the order of £27 million.
3. An accelerated naval construction programme of about £80 million. Approximately one-third of this expenditure is for ships to be built by Swan Hunter on Tyneside.
213W4. Acceleration of capital programmes and road programmes. The total estimated expenditure is £163 million. About £50 million of this total is for road maintenance and improvements, of which some £6 million will relate to the Northern Region, but it is not possible to identify the region's share of the other programmes.
5. Net Government support of £171 million for the Rolls-Royce RB211 engine.
6. Acceleration of payments of investment grants, which will involve bringing forward £10 million into 1971–72 and £15 million into 1972–73. The Northern Region element cannot be estimated.
The total expenditure involved in these measures will be over £600 million and will be mainly incurred in the three years 1971–72 to 1973–74.