§ Mr. Ridleyasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish details by region, and for travel-to-work areas including major concentrations of shipbuilding, of the total effective area of (a) advance factories currently unoccupied, (b) proposed advance factories under construction 216W or for which firm plans or commitments exist, (c) the scale of firm inquiries for the use of the unused advance factories measured in terms of space and job numbers and (d) the net addition to employment attributable to the advance factory programme since 1974, giving the details of the overall floor space available in each case.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldThe information is as follows, but it is not possible without disproportionate expense to give that sought under (d) in terms of the total advance factory programme by region. That given relates only to those advance factories announced since 1974 not all of which have yet been completed.
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(a) (b) (c) (d)* Region Completed and unoccupied (sq.ft.) Under construction or not yet started (sq.ft.) General inquiries for factories during past year Firm applications for empty factory under (a) Estimated employment Total area involved (sq. ft.) Jobs created in advance factory approved since 1974 Floor space (sq. ft.) NORTHERN … … … … 450,000 1,620,000 419 7 259 87,800 Nil Nil including: Tyneside TTWA … … … … 85,000 687,000 4 129 55,000 Nil Nil Wearside TTWA … … … … 100,000 150,000 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Teeside TTWA … … … … 40,000 468,000 1 8 2,800 Nil Nil NORTH WEST … … … … 180,000 803,000 100 15 539 150,000 136 50,000 including: Liverpool TTWA … … … … 110,000 598,000 — 9 478 97,500 136 50,000 YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE … … … … 77,500 390,000 95 2 76 30,000 325 109,500 SOUTH WEST … … … … 60,000 80,000 48 8 471 82,000 70 20,000 EAST MIDLANDS … … … … 15,000 60,000 80 1 50 15,000 80 24,000 TOTALS … … … … 782,500 2,953,000 742 33 1,395 377,000 611 203,500 * Although 19 factories have been completed and allocated (7 in the Northern Region) many have not yet been occupied.