§ Mr. Allen McKayasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many factories or works in the Penistone constituency area have received, or are currently receiving, regional aid; what will be the effects of the recent policy direction of the Government to take this area out of intermediate status; and how many persons are having to lose their jobs because of this decision.
§ Mr. David Mitchell,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 23 July 1979; Vol. 971, c. 15], gave the following answer:
166Wment costs in Britain and France is £1,129 million. The expenditure is divided as follows between actual past expenditure and estimated future expenditure.
in France. This is divided as between actual past expenditure and estimated future expenditure as follows:
spares to the end of 1979 is £146 million in the United Kingdom and 1,535 million francs in France. This is divided as between actual past receipts and estimated future receipts as follows:
In the period up to the end of May 1979, 128 projects in the four employment office areas covering the Penistone constituency had been offered regional selective assistance amounting to £9.5 million under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972. In addition, during the period up to 31 March 1979, regional development grants amounting to £109.3 million have been paid to firms in the Yorkshire and Humberside region—the smallest relevant geographical unit for which separate figures are available. No figures are available for the number of projects in the region in receipt of regional development grants.
Under the changes in regional policy announced by my right hon. Friend on 17 July 1979 the employment office areas of Barnsley and Hoyland, parts of 167W which fall within the Penistone constituency, will keep their intermediate area status and thus firms there will remain eligible for regional incentives. The employment office areas of Chapel Town and Sheffield—a part of which falls within the Penistone constituency—will become non-assisted areas. Since these downgradings will not take effect for three years, firms there will continue to be elegible for regional assistance under the transitional arrangements.
It is not possible to measure the relationship between the particular levels of regional assistance in an area and levels of employment there.