§ Mr. Fosterasked the Secretary of State for Industry, pursuant to his reply of 28 January, Official Report, c. 393, why the take-up of the loan guarantee scheme has been comparatively low in the North-East; and whether he has any plans to improve the situation.
§ Mr. MacGregorMany factors will be involved in the differences between regions in take up of the loan guarantee scheme, and the apparent disparities are reduced when the size and the population of the regions are taken into account. I should like to see more applications coming from the North-East.
Efforts have been made to increase awareness of the scheme and the other measures for small firms through the business opportunities programme, and the scheme will continue to be promoted through the Department of Industry's small firms service.