§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for Industy what has been the total value of projects supported under the product and process development scheme since its inception in September 1977 to date; and what financial assistance the Government have made available towards these costs.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerAs at the end of September 1981 the number of projects supported, the project value and the departmental commitment under the scheme were as follows:
No. of projects Project Value £000 Departmental Commitment £000 25 per cent. Grant 547 296,574 71,940 50 per cent. Shared Cost contract* 87 25,967 13,035 Pre-Production orders† 107 16,259 16,259 Total 741 338,800 101,234 Notes: *to be recovered though a levy on sales. †the Department buys a pre-production model for loan to a user who is expected to buy it at the end of the trial period. Full details of the scheme are given in the Department of Industry's "Notes for Guidance of Applicants", copies of which are in the Library.