§ 24. Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Industry for what schemes of assistance available through his Department the area covered by the London Docklands Development Corporation is eligible; and what requests he has received for such assistance.
§ Mr. MacGregorFirms in the London Docklands Development Corporation's area are eligible for selective financial assistance under section 8 of the Industry Act 1972, including that available under the microelectronics support programme, the coal-fired boiler scheme, the private sector iron and steel scheme and the small firms loan guarantee scheme. They are also eligible for assistance through various schemes under the Science and Technology Act 1965, including the microprocessor application project, the product and process development scheme and the fibre optics, robotics and cadcam schemes, all of which are operated by the Department of Industry. Firms may also seek development support from the Department's requirement boards.
Since May 1979 the Department has made offers of £145,000 for projects costing £991,000 under section 8 of the Industry Act—other than for projects under specific schemes under this Act—and grants of £29,000 for projects totalling £115,000 have been approved for the AP. Information on the amount of assistance provided under the various other schemes to firms in the LDDC areas is not available.