§ Mr. TrotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list the amounts spent by his Department in support of new technologies, technology transfer and innovative research and development in the northern region since 1983.
§ Mr. LeighThe Department does not have reliable regional innovation spend figures because its innovation22W budget is not allocated on a regional basis. The amount spent in specific areas is dependent on the number of companies that come forward with good projects. Any figures would thus be a reflection of industry activity rather than Government policy. However, for the special reason that we are looking to attract European structural funds, there has been an allocation made for SPUR, which supports product development. The northern region (the north west, north east, and Yorkshire and Humberside) has so far been allocated nearly one third of the SPUR budget.
§ Mr. TrotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will list the major investment projects attracted from overseas to the northern region since 1983, together with the capital cost of each project and the amount of grant offered.
§ Mr. LeighThe table lists details of major inward investments known to have located in the northern region since 1 January 1983. These are projects where known capital costs were over £5 million, and the table details the amount of regional selective assistance offered to each company.
23W
Major inward investments in the Northern region since 1983 Company Project costs RSA grant £ million £'000 Kodak Ltd. 6.4 2,000 British Alcan Aluminium plc 7.0 2,000 Transfer-All Purpose Foils Ltd. 5.3 819 Forbo-Mayfair Ltd. 6.5 700 Black and Decker 9.9 2,000 THC Fabricators (UK) Ltd. 6.2 575 Philips Components Ltd. 9.9 900 Black and Decker 22.0 2,450 Komatsu Ltd. 16.4 1,200
Company Project costs RSA grant £ million £'000 NSK Bearings Europe Ltd. 32.0 1,600 TC Industries of Europe Ltd. 6.0 1,295 Tolaram Polymers Ltd. 14.4 350 Nissan UK Ltd. 349.9 35,000 NSK Bearings Europe Ltd. 15.1 450 Black and Decker 9.8 1,000 Sterling-Winthrop Group Ltd. 15.1 3,382 Key-Tech (Europe) Ltd. 11.3 1,200 Uponor ltd. 16.0 330 Swaddlers Ltd. 8.8 950 Newcastle Chronicle and Journal Ltd. 5.4 700 Fujitsu Microelectronics Ltd. 400.0 30,000 Goldstar Electric Ltd. 8.0 Nil BASF Chemicals 6.0 Nil Swilynn (UK) Ltd. 14.1 2,950 Nissan UK Manufacturing Ltd. 216.0 14,400 Cookson Fukuda Ltd. 24.3 650 Hashimoto Forming Industry Co. Ltd. 9.9 1,500 3M UK Ltd. 11.9 1,700 Notes:
1. Major inward investment projects have been defined as those first time investments, or expansions of existing investments, by foreign owned companies which involve project costs of over £5 million.
2. Details of grant are for offers of regional selective assistance (RSA) accepted by foreign-owned companies since 1 January 1983. Comparable information on other forms of assistance is not readily available. (Not all inward investments receive RSA).
3. The Northern region is the North East region plus Cumbria.