§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the number of applications(a) received and (b) approved for business development consultancy initiatives from 1 April 1988 to the most recent date for which information is available and (c) what was the total amount of expenditure involved in each of the regions of his Department, Scotland and Wales and (d) for assisted areas, urban programme areas and non-assisted areas.
§ Mr. NewtonIn the period from 1 April 1988 to 31 May 1989 24,291 applications were received for the business 331W development consultancy initiatives. In the same period 17,740 applications were approved for assisted consultancy. The Department's contribution to the cost of completed consultancies totalled £16.8 million. It is estimated that those consultancies not completed by 31 May 1989 will cost the Department £26.4 million. I am unable to provide a breakdown of expenditure between
(a) (b) (c) (d) DTI Region/Country Number of applications received Number of applications approved for assisted consultancy DTI expenditure on completed consultancies (£ thousand) Estimated expenditure on outstanding consultancies (£ thousand) North East 1,194 924 784 1,315 North West 3,538 2,894 3,166 4,762 Yorkshire and Humberside 2,293 1,698 1,880 2,711 West Midlands 2,562 1,830 1,855 3,319 East Midlands 1,483 1,154 1,091 1,897 South West 2,335 1,434 1,069 2,112 South East: Cambridge 1,893 1,097 766 1,567 London 2,929 2,066 1,694 2,070 Reading 1,433 1,098 823 1,220 Reigate 1,415 1,064 753 1,325 Scotland 1,789 1,475 1,908 2,463 Wales 1,427 1,006 1,106 1,613 Total 24,291 17,740 16,805 26,374
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the consultancy firms involved in the business development consultancy initiative for each of the regions of his Department, Scotland and Wales.
§ Mr. NewtonIt is not our practice to detail the consultancy firms used by scheme contractors to undertake enterprise initiative assisted consultancy projects. This is to avoid the risk of such a list being seen as a form of Government approval or endorsement, to the unfair disadvantage of practices no less competent but which for one reason or another are not associated with the scheme; and also to avoid the risk of consultancies being exposed to pressures which could compromise the independence and impartiality of their advice to clients.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give the estimated expenditure in the business development consultancy initiative in each of the years 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92.
§ Mr. NewtonWe estimate that the total amount of expenditure on the business development consultancy initiatives in 1988–89 was £43.1 millions. The Estimates provision for 1989–90 is £91 millions. The level of provision for future years will depend upon public expenditure decisions yet to be taken: however, planned provision is £107 millions in 1990–91 and £109 millions in 1991–92.