HC Deb 04 February 1976 vol 904 cc595-6W
Mr. Gordon Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the number of industrial development certificates applied for in the non-development areas of the United Kingdom in each year from 1970 to 1975, indicating the respective numbers of industrial development certificates granted and refused.

Mr. Gregor Mackenzie

The following table covers schemes of all sizes in all parts of the United Kingdom outside the development areas and special development areas and Northern Ireland:

Industrial Development Certificates
Issued Refused
No. No.
1970 4,954 194
1971 2,482 112
1972 2,342 53
1973 2,275 88
1974 1,837 65
1975 Jan./Nov. 1,660 28

NOTE. From 1st September 1974, the IDC control ceased to apply to parts of Scotland and Wales which had been newly designated as development areas. The IDC exemption limits were raised in December 1970 and July 1972 and lowered in September 1974.

Mr. Litterick

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish in the Official Report figures showing the number of industrial development certificates granted and the number of industrial development certificate requests refused in the West Midlands region during each of the last five complete years for which this information is available.

Mr. Gregor Mackenzie

The following table relates to schemes of all sizes:

Industrial Development Certificates
Issued Refused
No. No.
1971 468 29
1972 374 11
1973 258 12
1974 202 11
1975 277 7

NOTE. IDC exemption limits were raised in July 1972 and lowered in September 1974.

Mr. Gordon Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he has made any estimate of the number of firms which established operations in Scotland as a result of refusal of industrial development certificates in each year from 1970 to 1975; and what is the number of instances in which such operations in Scotland arising from industrial development certificate refusals between 1970 and 1973 have subsequently been discontinued.

Mr. Gregor Mackenzie

Information of this kind is not collected on a regular basis. However, information available about manufacturing establishments that opened in Scotland between 1966 and 1972, and still in existence at the end of 1972, shows that out of 172 establishments with attributable non-Scottish origins, 123 had links with England.