§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Wales what account is taken of the level of unemployment, both in absolute terms and relative to other areas of Wales, when selecting areas for inclusion in the business improvement services scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsThe areas in Wales in which the provisions of the business improvement services scheme apply are the steel closure areas defined, by the Council of the European Communities, in Council regulation (EEC) No. 216/84 of 18 January 1984. The criteria used to select steel closure areas were: the number of jobs in the steel industry; the industrial employment dependent on the steel industry; major job losses in the steel industry in recent years; the eligibility of the zone concerned for a national regional aid scheme; the social and economic situation in the region assessed on the basis of per capita gross domestic product and structural unemployment.