31. Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department is taking to encourage manufacturing industries into the Wakefield area; and if he will make a statement. [32141]
§ Mr. PageThrough the work of the Invest in Britain Bureau, my Department promotes the UK as a location for inward investment generally. In the Yorkshire and Humberside region, the DTI provides most of the revenue for the Yorkshire and Humberside development agency, the specific job of which is the regional co-ordination of promotion work and the encouragement of inward investment to the region, including, of course, the Wakefield area.
Wakefield is already strategically placed on the road and rail network, and my Department has enhanced its attractiveness to investors by granting the city DTI intermediate area status in 1993. Since January 1994, regional selective assistance of more than £2.4 million has been awarded to businesses, and almost 900 jobs have been created or safeguarded.
Through the Government office for Yorkshire and Humberside, my Department is also involved in administering European funding under the objective 2 programme. So far, £4.4 million has been allocated to Wakefield for a range of projects, including the development of a channel tunnel railfreight terminal, which will assist manufacturing directly or indirectly. Wakefield will also benefit from the RETEX and RECHAR initiatives, which provide funds for regenerating former textile and coal mining areas.