§ 11. Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what specific steps he is taking to assist manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. AtkinsGovernment provide a wide range of assistance, financial and other, to manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland through the Department of Economic Development and its businesses. The various programmes of assistance are designed to encourage inward investment, to promote the competitiveness of local industry, to build up management and work force skills and to support innovation.
198Wservices provided by the veterinary investigation service can now be carried out more efficiently in a reduced number of locations.
As a result of the reviews there are currently 14 full veterinary investigation centres in operation and following the amalgamation of Reading and Winchester centres on the Winchester site in mid-1994 it is expected that 13 full veterinary investigation centres will be in operation in 1996. The position of the veterinary investigation service unit at Truro will be reviewed in the interim period. In 1979 there were 25 veterinary investigation centres in operation.