§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Industry what sums of regional aid were paid to companies in West Cumbria in the last month.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe following assistance was made available in February 1981 under the Industry Act 1972 to undertakings located in West Cumbria
Payments of regional development grant in amounts over £25,000: £571,546.No offers of regional selective assistance were made under section 7 of the Act.It is not the practice to disclose details of such assistance other than in accordance with the arrangements announced by the then Secretary of State for Industry on 31 July 1974. Appropriate details of the above assistance will be published in British Business in due course in accordance with those arrangements.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many new starter manufacturing operations have been set up in the Workington travel-to-work area in Cumbria and in the Northern region with assistance obtained under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 in the last month.
§ Mr. MacGregorIt is not possible to identify precisely the time at which new starter manufacturing operations assisted under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 are set up, although information on the offers of assistance made in the last month is available. There were none in the Workington travel-to-work area but there were four in the North-East region—as the Northern region is now called320W following the transfer of responsibility for Cumbria to the Department's North-West regional office. Two of these were for the setting up of new companies; the other two were for the extension of existing operations.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Industry how many applications for information of an industrial or service development nature his Department has received for the Northern region during the last month; and how many of those his Department has referred to the Cumbria county council's industrial development unit.
§ Mr. MacGregor(Since 1 April 1981 Cumbria has been the responsibility of the Department's North-West regional office. During that period 339 inquiries of an industrial or commercial development nature were received, of which 75 related to selective financial assistance. None were specifically referred to the Cumbria county council industrial development unit. It is, however, standard practice to ensure that the inquirer is aware of all sources of aid and services, including those of the Cumbria county council industrial development unit.