§ 43. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many industrial development certificates were requested by industry in 1972, 1973 and to 1st June 1974; how many of these were granted; and how many were refused.
§ Mr. HefferThe following figures relate to the number of IDC applications of 15,000 sq. ft. and over:
Approvals Refusals 1972 1,490 41 1973 1,771 76 January-April 1974 466 16 Since 20th July 1972 the development areas have not been subject to the IDC control.
§ Mr. Tierneyasked the Secretary of State for Industry what evidence he has of the extent to which IDC control is a factor in firms moving out of the West Midlands region.
§ Mr. HefferA number of studies have been undertaken within Government and by academics to examine the influence of the IDC control on location decisions not only in the West Midlands but also in the rest of the country. Whilst it is not possible to quantify the influence of the IDC control, these studies show that it is an important factor—albeit one of a number—affecting the location decisions of firms based in the West Midlands and elsewhere.