HC Deb 24 January 2000 vol 343 c44W
Dr. Brand

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will announce(a) the criteria for the tier 3 grant up to £75,000 and (b) the amount available to the regions of England; and if he will make a statement. [106152]

Mr. Caborn

The information is as follows:

(a) My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 10 November 1999, Official Report, column 629W, a new discretionary Enterprise Grant scheme which would be available to SMEs in tier 3 and the Assisted Areas of the English regions. The aim is to target high quality projects with fixed capital investment of up to £500,000. There will be some regional variation in the delivery of the scheme through the Government Offices, taking account of the economic strategies of the Regional Development Agencies. Further details of the scheme's core criteria can be found in the scheme brochure, copies of which I have placed in the Libraries of the Houses.

(b) The budget for Enterprise Grant is £45 million over three years. The allocation for 2000–01 by region, based on 3-year average spending on Regional Selective Assistance cases at this level, will be as follows:

£000
Region Allocation for 2000–01
East 300
East Midlands 1,200
London 300
North East 3,000
North West 3,600
South East 900
South West 450
West Midlands 3,150
Yorkshire and Humberside 2,100
Total 15,000