§ Mr. Bradfordasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new jobs have been created by the diversion of the financial allocations from each Department since the date on which the freeze on public expenditure for the purpose of job creation was announced in Northern Ireland, up to the latest possible date.
§ Mr. Rossi[pursuant to his reply, 12 November 1980, c. 254]: I outlined the effects on employment of the reallocation of resources in my announcement of 6 August. It has been made possible for us to provide £7 million to Harland and Wolff towards the company's funding in the current financial year; up to £14 million in the form of a repayable loan to the De Lorean DMC 12 project; and £20 million to the Northern Ireland Electricity Service to enable it to hold down its tariffs. The assistance to Harland and Wolff and De Lorean alone will facilitate the maintenance or creation of some 8,000 to 9,000 jobs in the Belfast area; and the funds to enable the Northern Ireland Electricity Service to hold its tariffs down will result in industry bear- 454W ing lower overheads than would otherwise have been the case, and thereby make a contribution to industrial competitiveness, without which there would be further erosion of manufacturing employment. The re-allocated resources have contributed to the cost of the overall industrial development drive carried out by the Department of Commerce, the Northern Ireland Development Agency and the local enterprise development unit, which together, in the first 10 months of this year, have promoted some 5,800 new job opportunities in Northern Ireland.