§ Mr. Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take urgent steps to encourage further development of new industry in the Northern Region, in view of the fact that the latest statistics from his Department show the average wage in the region to be below the national average for both men and women in manual and non-manual work.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantMeasures taken under the Industry Act and the priority given under the advance factory building programme—the latest stage of which was the largest ever—recognise the problems of the region. I also announced last month that for each of the next three financial years, and subject to certain conditions, an increased grant-in-aid of up to £100,000 is being offered to the North of England Development Council to help promote the industrial growth and development of the region. Unemployment in the region fell by over 22,000 between December 1972 and December 1973, and vacancies rose by over 9,000 in the same period.