§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many firms with plant based in Walsall have received Government financial help under the Industry Act.
§ Mr. CryerSeven firms have received offers of selective financial assistance, totalling £687,000, under Section 8 of the Industry Act 1972 towards projects in Walsall estimated to cost £3,315,000. Details of offers to three of these seven companies have been published inTrade and Industry. These are as follows:
SECTION 8 Region Number of projects Assistance offered (£'000) East Midlands … … 1 64 Details of assistance given to individual companies are published quarterly in Trade and Industry in accordance with the arrangements announced by my right hon. Friend in the House on 31st July 1974. However, without disproportionate cost, for the reasons given above it is not possible from the records available to give a comprehensive list of all the firms in the man-made fibres industry to which grants have been paid, or to identify factories which have subsequently closed. There have been approximately 3,813 redundancies in the man-made fibres industry over the past five years, but again it is not possible from the available records to say to what extent these are the result of closures.