§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement outlining those steps which have been taken by his Department since 9 April 1992 specifically to assist the United Kingdom manufacturing industry; and what future action he intends to take to assist manufacturing industry.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 26 January 1993]: Specific measures outlined in the autumn statement included substantial help for manufacturing industry. Examples are:
There is evidence that businesses now recognise the opportunities created by the measures in the autumn statement, low inflation and lower interest rates, and the lower exchange rate. This is reflected in the CBI economic situation report for January, which shows business optimism at its highest level since April 1988.
- a temporary increase in first-year capital allowances;
- the abolition of the car tax;
- the relaxation of the rules for private financing of public sector projects; and
- additional ECGD cover to help exporters in certain important but risky markets.