§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the amount of financial assistance given to small firms in Wales in 1987; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerInformation on the aid given to small firms in Wales by agencies and Departments other than the Welsh Office is not held centrally. Under the208W grant schemes directly administered by my Department the following amounts have been offered to small firms1 in 1987:
£ thousands Regional selective assistance 6,404 Regional development grant 36,818 Business improvement services 2,158 1 Employers of 200 or less (including associated and group companies). In addition, substantial support is provided to the small firms sector by a number of other Departments and agencies, including the Welsh Development Agency, Mid Wales Development, the Wales Tourist Board, British Coal Enterprise, BSC (Industry) and the Department of Trade and Industry. The recently-launched enterprise Wales intitiative places a special emphasis on support for small firms by way of consultancy, investment and innovation grants.