HC Deb 26 October 1977 vol 936 cc807-8W
Mrs. Kellett-Bowman

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will publish in the Official Report statistics in tabular form for each year from 1974 to 1977, inclusive, showing (a) the number of advance factories completed in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, (b) the number of those advance factories

1974 1975 1976 1977
England 20 14 51 70
Wales 1 7 24 19
Scotland 6 11 20 24
Northern Ireland 4 1
* Including blocks of terrace units.

Total Advance factories completed in England * Vacant 3 months Vacant 6 months Vacant 9 months Vacant 12 months Vacant to date
1974 15 sfs and 16 tus † 5 tus 2 tus 1 tu 8 sfs and 3 tus 3 sfs and 1 tu
1975 13 sfs and 14 tus 1 st 2 sfs and 1tu 6 sfs 3 sfs and 1 tu
1976 43 sfs and 18 tus 4 sfs 4 sfs and 5 sfs 7 sfs 1tus 5 sfs and 9 tus 20 sfs and 6 tus
1977 57 sfs and 72 tus 1 sf and 3tus 1 sf 0 0 48 sfs and 45 tus ‡

Numbers of Meant factories expressed as a proportion of total yearly completions §
per cent
1974 16.0 6.5 3.2 35.5 13.0
1975 3.7 11.0 0.0 22.0 15.0
1976 6.5 14.8 11.5 23.0 43.0
1977 3.1 0.7 0.0 0.0 72.0
*Excluding factories funded by the Development Commission.
†Sf = standard factory.
tu = terrace unit.
‡Factories which have been empty for 0–9 months.
§In calculating the percentages each standard factory and terrace unit has been counted separately as one factory unit.

which remained unoccupied for three months, for six months, for nine months, for 12 months, and to date, in each case as a total, and as a proportion of the whole; and (c) the number of advance factories built with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund, both as a total and as a proportion of the whole.

Mr. Cryer:

The answer given to parts (a) and (b) of the hon. Member's Question relates to advance factories completed in England only. The Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have responsibility for factory-building in those countries. As regards part (c), I have responsibility for co-ordinating all four countries' applications for ERDF contributions. The answer, however, refers only to the number of factories in respect of which ERDF contributions were made; it is not possible without disproportionate expense to express those numbers as proportions of the totals of advance factories completed. The information is as follows:

There have been contributions from the European Regional Development Fund in respect of the following numbers of factories in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland*.