HC Deb 21 April 1988 vol 131 cc556-7W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the figures indicating how his Department assesses the cost of(a) retaining each job and (b) creating each new job in enterprise zones; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Trippier

My answer to the hon. Member on 2 March described the method of assessing the cost of each net additional job in enterprise zones in Great Britain. The estimated cost at the end of 1986 of £8,500 for each net additional job was derived from the total costs to the Exchequer of £297 million and a total number of net additional jobs of 35,060.

The net additional jobs due to the enterprise zones include both jobs new to the zones and those jobs in firms that were present at designation and retained as a result of the zones, but separate estimates have not been made for each category.