§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will now make a further 721W statement about the programme of advanced factories.
Mr. Alan WilliamsMy right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on 24th September 1975 increased financial provision for advance factories, as part of the package of measures aimed at job creation in the regions. My predecessor gave details of the programme on 28th November 1975.
Good progress is being made at many of the sites, but some starts have been delayed by difficulties of land acquisition. In order to maintain the momentum of the programme within the published financial provision, I am now authorising construction of a further 19 factories, as follows:
Location Area (sq. ft.) Northern Region … Longbenton … 1 × 15,000 Hartlepool … 2 × 25,000 … … 1 × 15,000 … … 1 × 10,000 North West Region … Fleetwood … 1 × 10,000 Speke … 1 × 15,000 Gillmoss … 1 × 15,000 Blackpool … 1 × 10,000 Rochdale … 1 × 15,000 Irlam … 1 × 10,000 Yorkshire and Humberside … Hull … 1 × 10,000 … … 2 × 5,000 Grimsby … 1 × 5,000 … … 1 × 10,000 Rotherham … 1 × 10,000 South West Region … Plymouth … 1 × 10,000 East Midlands Region … Sutton in Ashfield … 1 × 15,000 I am also authorising the purchase of further land so that later programmes of factory construction may be enabled to proceed more quickly.