Health Care International (Hansard, 25 November 1994)

§ Mr. Worthington
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who was responsible for monitoring differing aspects of Health Care Intenational development in Clydebank in Scottish Enterprise National, Scottish Office, Locate in Scotland and Dunbartonshire Enterprise; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Stewart
Officials in the relevant organisations monitored the assistance offered to the company in accordance with the normal procedures relating to the schemes in question. With regard to the offer of regional selective assistance—the largest single element of the assistance package offered to the company—my right hon. Friend's officials made appropriate checks to ensure that the company was complying with the terms of the offer prior to the release of each instalment of grant.

§ Mr. Worthington
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he was first aware of economic difficulties at Health Care International in Clydebank; and what action he took.

§ Mr. Stewart
Officials of Locate in Scotland and Scottish Enterprise have been involved in discussions about the company's financial position over the last three months and my right hon. Friend has been kept informed of developments.

§ Mr. Worthington
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what account he took of the Irish Industrial Development Authority's decision on support of Health Care International when he agreed to support Health Care International in Clydebank.

§ Mr. Stewart
Decisions to offer financial assistance to Health Care International were made after the same rigorous appraisal as applies to all decisions in respect of such assistance, and determined by reference to the same criteria. In the context of the appraisal process, decisions taken by inward investment agencies in other countries are taken into account where, for example, they affect the 431W level of grant necessary to secure a mobile project. In this particular case, as the company had already made it clear that its preference was for a Scottish location, no specific account was taken of the indicative offer which the company had previously received from the Irish industrial development authority.