HL Deb 03 March 1999 vol 597 cc186-7WA
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What they have achieved since May 1997 in the Wakefield District Council area of West Yorkshire in the fields of (a) economic growth and (b) social services. [HL1165]

The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Simon of Highbury)

Since May 1997, the Government have demonstrated a significant level of commitment to the regeneration of Wakefield. A total of 51 offers of regional selective assistance, worth £4.7 million, have been awarded to businesses in the Wakefield district, which will result in the creation of 619 jobs and safeguarding of 1,306 jobs.

More than £9 million has been invested in youth and adult training delivered by Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). This has resulted in young people up to 24 years old achieving more than 1,357 National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and nearly 800 adult trainees finding jobs.

Wakefield Jobcentre has so far placed 97 people into employment with the help of New Deal. Of these, 15 were people with disabilities and four had been out of work for more than two years. In addition, 177 people have taken up other New Deal options, with more than half entering full time education. The Employment Service has established good links with local employers, a number of whom have agreed to fill vacancies solely through New Deal.

Approximately £7.7 million has been allocated to Action Plans in Wakefield under the 1997–99 Structural Funds Objective 2 Programme, under which the Action Plan partnerships are now bringing forward projects. Projects approved since May 1997 are expected to create over 1,000 new jobs, assist over 1,000 businesses and lever in an additional £20.1 million of private sector investment in the district.

In 1997, a total of £4.1 million was offered as part of Round 4 of the single regeneration budget (SRB) in Wakefield. Under existing SRB programmes, £4.4 million has been paid since May 1997, resulting in 54 new business start-ups, 53 entries to self-employment, almost 700 jobs created, and almost 2,300 trainees qualified.

The Government have received the report from the Coalfields Task Force and have responded positively to all its recommendations. In particular, they have announced the establishment of a Coalfields Enterprise Fund and the establishment of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. In addition, the Government have made additional funding available through the housing investment programme to those local authorities within the coalfield areas. These measures will of course impact on Wakefield.

Finally, the Government intervened directly to save the National Coalmining Museum for England, based at Caphouse Colliery, Wakefield, from closure following a combination of privatisation and local government reorganisation which removed its means of support. Funding of around £770,000 in 1999–2000 will allow the museum to continue to make a considerable contribution to the local economy both as a direct employer and more widely through tourism. It enables young people to understand the human story, scale and importance of coalmining in the nation's history.