§ Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to ensure the planned enterprise zones will not lower or seriously blighten the planning standards in areas where they are established; and whether he will take appropriate action to ensure that any incentives offered will not draw investment to the zones and away from neighbouring areas without making any overall increase in jobs.
§ Mr. KingEnterprise zones are an experiment in reducing controls, except where they are needed for the protection of health, safety or the control of pollution. I do not therefore propose to introduce Government imposed standards of the sort suggested. The incentives offered may perhaps divert some investment from neighbouring areas, but the overall effect should be to stimulate the local economy to the benefit both of the zones themselves and the surrounding areas.