HC Deb 07 November 1996 vol 284 c705W
Mr. Ron Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for the Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Sweeney) of 4 November,Official Report, column 350, on the Welsh Development Agency's budget, if the sum of £20 million for the LG project is provision for 1996–97 alone; if it is the total provision by the Welsh Development Agency for the project; what is the planned expenditure for 1995–96 by the Welsh Development Agency on the LG project; and what elements of the LG project the £20 million provision will fund. [3021]

Mr. Hague

The £20 million allocated to the WDA of the LG project is for 1996–97; and additional spending requirements will be met as part of the WDA's normal priorities; the details of the funding arrangements are commercially confidential.

Mr. Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for the Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Sweeney) of 4 November,Official Report, column 350, on the Welsh Development Agency's budget, when construction of the LG factory is planned to commerce; and how much of the £20 million committed in grant in aid for the LG project is allocated to (a) land acquisition, (b) site preparation and (c) factory construction. [3022]

Mr. Hague

Construction of the LG electronics development is expected to start in January 1997; construction of the LG semiconductors development is expected to start in March 1997. Details of the funding arrangements are commercially confidential.

Mr. Ron Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for the Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Sweeney) of 4 November, column350 on the Welsh Development Agency's budget, what is the source of the additional £25.4 million of central Government provision for the Welsh Development Agency for 1996–97. [3020]

Mr. Hague

The additional provision of £25.3 million in class XIV, vote 2 for the grant in aid to the Welsh Development Agency has been funded mainly from (i) end-year flexibility entitlements carried forward from previous years, (ii) a switch of resources from class XIV, vote 1 as a result of claims proving lower than expected agri-environmental and farm conservation schemes, and (iii) numerous cases of virement within vote 2.