§ 50. Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was his Department's total expenditure on regional aid to industry in Wales during the last year for which figures are available; and what was the corresponding figure for 1978–79.
§ Mr. ButcherExpenditure by my Department on regional development grants and regional selective assistance in Wales was £98.3 million in 1978–79, and £1.6 million in 1985–86. Expenditure on regional aid to industry in Wales is now almost entirely undertaken by the Welsh Office. Responsibility for expenditure on regional development grants in Wales transferred from my Department to the Welsh Office in November 1984. Taking account of Welsh Office expenditure, the amount spent in Wales in 1985–86 under these headings represented some 22 per cent. of the total for Great Britain.