§ 38. Mr. Forthasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to encourage inward investment into the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe Invest in Britain Bureau in my Department has a promotional budget of £1.142 million for the purpose of encouraging inward investment into all parts of the United Kingdom. This budget is used for a programme of seminars and promotional work backed by advertising and printed publications and for carrying out research into the attitudes and needs of potential investors. In addition, a sum of £2.2 million is available for grant-in-aid to the five English regional development organisations, which carry out programmes of inward investment promotion on behalf of the north east, north west, Yorkshire and Humberside, west midlands and Devon and Cornwall. These programmes, together with those of bodies in other parts of the United Kingdom, have kept this country in the forefront of inward investment. Despite fierce competition, the United Kingdom remains the preferred location for inward investment into Europe.