§ Mr. Altonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs are currently available through the ACE programme; how many applicants have sought the chance to establish an ACE project in Northern Ireland since its inception; how many jobs have been created; how many proposals have been turned down; and how many are awaiting a decision.
§ Mr. ViggersThere are currently 6,886 ACE jobs in existence; 1,591 applicants have applied to establish an ACE project since the scheme was introduced. The average number of ACE jobs created each year since 1981 is as follows:
Period Average number of jobs created 1981–82 430 1982–83 1,270 1983–84 2,529 1984–85 3,080 1985–86 3,890 1986–87 6,150 Note: 26 proposals have been rejected; and 118 new proposals at present await a decision.