§ Sir Fergus Montgomeryasked the Paymaster General if he will estimate the effect on employment prospects of (a) the free trade zones and (b) the enterprise zones.
§ Mr. LeeThere are no free trade zones in the United Kingdom. However, in 1984 six freeports were designated as an experiment to test their usefulness as a stimulus to economic activity. Their designation was not primarily intended or presented by the Government as an employment or job creation initiative. However, at 1 July 1986 around 100 persons were directly employed full-time in the freeports.
Britain's 23 enterprise zones had 53,500 employees in December 1985, some 20,000 of these jobs having been created since designation, and there is no reason to suppose that the good progress made so far cannot be continued. Comprehensive information on enterprise zones is contained in the Department of the Environment's report "Enterprise Zone Information 1984–1985", a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.