HC Deb 09 July 1984 vol 63 c394W
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will list the bodies outside his Department in Scotland with which Locate in Scotland has the closest working relationship.

Mr. Allan Stewart

Locate in Scotland comprises staff from the Industry Department for Scotland and the Scottish Development Agency, and has full access to the resources of both these bodies. The Scottish local authorities and new towns are fully involved in LIS planning and in dealing with visitors, but they participate in overseas promotion only under LIS sponsorhip.

Other bodies with which LIS works closely to achieve a comprehensive inward investment service include the Invest in Britain Bureau, the regional development grants office of the Department of Trade and Industry, Scotland's universities and colleges of technology, the Highlands and Islands Development Board, the Scottish Council, the Manpower Services Commission and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs the Locate in Scotland unit has helped bring to Scotland, either directly or indirectly for each of the years since its creation, listing the companies and jobs concerned to date; and what is his assessment as to the anticipated growth in employment in those companies over the next 10 years.

Mr. Allan Stewart

Locate in Scotland's results in the period 31 March 1984 were:

1981–82 1982–83 1983–84
Projects 32 46 54
Investment (£m) 237 187 167
Potential employment (new and safeguarded) 7,000 5,300 6,900

Projects announced subsequently bring the total investment committed by overseas companies to £800 million and the number of jobs created and safeguarded to 23,000. The projects announced over the last three years involve such significant companies as Motorola, Burr Brown, IBM, Wang, Mitsubishi Electric, National Semiconductor, SCI, and Shin-Etsu Handotai.

Apart from the direct employment associated with these projects, there are considerable spin-off benefits in Scottish and other United Kingdom firms supplying components and services,; and many of the companies involved are likely to grow further over the next 10 years. It is not, however, possible to provide precise estimates for such employment effects.