§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the Minister of State's recent visit to Liverpool.
§ Mr. Norman LamontMy visit to Liverpool on Thursday and Friday 18 and 19 March enabled me to 391W explore and see for myself the problems of the area. I met and had useful discussions with local industrialists and representatives and officials of the Merseyside county council. I also toured four English Industrial Estates Corporation sites, including the Exchange hotel and Tate and Lyle sites where the EIEC will be undertaking substantial new ventures, and met representatives of the press.
Part I Part II Payments of regional developmentgrant (in amounts over £25,000) Section 7 offers of regional selective assistance
Section 8 Offers of selective financial assisatance
Cash £'000
"Cost terms"* £'000
Cash £'000
"Cost terms"* £'000
Cash £'000
"Cost terms"* £'000
1975 468 468 144 144 — — 1976 1328 1158 295 257 5048 4401 1977 371 358 559 539 265 255 1978 1735 1196 887 612 1161 800 1979 766 460 4237 2542 797 478 1980 349 176 2329 1172 905 455 1981 1037 465 330 148 562 252 * 1975=100 There is no unique way of expressing cash expenditure in constant prices. One way is to deflate the expenditure by the change in the gross domestic product deflator at market prices, thus removing the general effect of inflation, that is, "cost term" figures. The figures have been calculated on this basis.
§ Mr. Kaufmanasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the forms of industrial assistance, including designations or withdrawal of designations as assisted areas, which have been withdrawn from the city of Manchester or whose withdrawal has been announced since 3 May 1979.
§ Mr. MacGregorThose parts of Greater Manchester due to become non-assisted areas from 1 August 1982, which include the city of Manchester, will from that date cease to be eligible for the following assistance from this Department:
- (a) regional selective assistance under section 7 of the Industry Act 1972 (regional development grant ceased to be available for buildings in intermediate areas on assets provided on or after 1 August 1980);
- (b) inclusion in the assisted area factory building programmes of the English Industrial Estates Corporation, though there will remain the scope for extending existing EIEC factories;
- (c) assistance from the quota section of the European regional development fund;
- (d) European Investment Bank loans and the exchange risk guarantee scheme.
The Manchester travel-to-work area will be designated a derelict land clearance area from 1 August 1982 and 100 per cent. grants to local authorities for derelict land reclamation will therefore remain available.