§ Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a report on the progress of the scheme for selective assistance for the electronic components industry under Section 8 of the Industry Act 1972, stating how this assistance compares with that available to the components industries in France and West Germany from their respective Governments.
§ Mr. CryerSince the Scheme—initially £20 million—was launched in January 1977, 66 applications, with a total project cost of £70 million, have been received. Of these, 19 have been approved with a total project cost of £24 million, to which the Department will contribute £7 million. Eleven have been withdrawn or rejected; the rest are being processed.
The main components support in France and Germany is for semiconductors and integrated circuits. France has announced a programme for integrated circuits with a Government contribution of 600 million francs over five years. The Federal German Government are spending DM.50 million-60 million a year on semiconductors. Total United Kingdom research and development support from Government Departments for electronic components is currently about £8 million per year. We are discussing with industry further support for microelectronics.