§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Industry how much of the initial £900,000 granted to the Co-operative Development Agency has been used; and what discussions he has had concerning the provision of the further £600,000.
§ Mr. David Mitchell[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1980]: Of the £900,000 available under the Co-operative Development Agency Act 1978, £277,647 has been allocated in the form of quarterly grants to date. Of this, the agency had spent £235,134 by 31 January this year.
When my right hon. Friend met the chairman and director of the Co-operative Development Agency on 26 November he indicated that the Government would continue to fund the agency until September 1981 but warned that the agency could not depend upon receiving additional funds after that date.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list those projects and schemes that the Co-operative Development Agency is wholly or partly funding; what additional income apart from the Government grant the agency has received; and from what sources.
§ Mr. David Mitchell[pursuant to his reply, 25 February 1980]: The Co-operative 516W Development Agency was set up to promote, advise and represent the interests of co-operative organisations. It was specifically prohibited from making loans or grants under section 3(3) of the Cooperative Development Agency Act 1978. Its only income to date has been £1,000 (with a further £4,000 in due course) from Lewisham borough council for a feasibility study. £2,500 is due (with a further £5,000 to come) from Lambeth borough council for a feasibility study, and approximately £1,984 interest has been earned on the agency's deposit account at the bank.