§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress of Her Majesty's Government's new regional policy.
§ Mr. AtkinsIn January 1988 the White Paper, "DTI—the department for Enterprise" (Cm. 278), announced changes in regional policy designed to reflect the Government's aim of encouraging enterprise. Since the beginning of the year over 1,250 applications for regional selective assistance have been received by the Department and the Scottish and Welsh Offices. Since January, over 5,400 applications have been approved (following an initial two-day business review) for the new consultancy initiatives, and preliminary indications are that over 40 per cent, of them have been from the assisted areas of Great Britain. There have also been over 450 applications under the regional enterprise grants scheme which was introduced on 1 April 1988.