§ Mr. Aitkenasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many small firms in the Thanet area are now in receipt of the small firms employment subsidy; how many extra jobs have thereby been created; and how this compares with the national average.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerNone. As was made clear on the introduction of the scheme the Small Firms Employment Subsidy applies in the special development areas only, so small firms in the Thanet area are not able to benefit under the provisions of the scheme.
§ Mr. Goodladasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many small firms in the respective employment office areas in Cheshire are now in receipt of the small firms subsidy; how many extra jobs have been created thereby; and how these figures compare with the national averages.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerSmall firms employment subsidy applies only to special development areas. Only a small part of Cheshire is within the Merseyside SDA. Within this area 21 firms have joined the scheme and the subsidy is now being paid in respect of 72 jobs.
This is broadly in line with the average over all the special development areas.