§ Mrs. Renee Shortasked the Secretary of State for Industry how much industrial aid has been taken up by the west midlands; and how this compares with the take-up of other industrial regions.
§ Mr. MacGregorI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will introduce further measures to restore manufacturing capacity in the west midlands.
§ Mr. ButcherI refer the hon. Member to the measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry on Monday 21 March 1983—[Vol. 39, c.549–58]. These include the reopening of the small engineering firms investment scheme, which will be of particular benefit to industry in the west midlands, and also the setting up of a special team for innovation to help firms in the west midlands to make the fullest use of all the national schemes of support for industry, in particular the support for innovation schemes under which grants are available for the development and introduction of new technology, new processes and new products. I am taking charge of this work.
However the best prospects for firms in the region, and elsewhere, lie in their efforts to restore their competitiveness, which the Government's overall economic policies are encouraging.