§ James PurnellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what impact her Department's policies have had on the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency since 1997. [54336]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 7 May 2002]: During the last five years, businesses in the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency have received over £148,000 investment via the enterprise grant scheme and SMART/SPUR awards on capital investment of over £;600,000. This has contributed, along with other Government policies and the work of Government agencies such as the Small Business Service, to a 38 per cent. fall in the number of unemployment benefit claimants in the constituency since May 1997. Constituents will also have benefited from the introduction of the national minimum wage, which has helped an estimated 230,000 people across the northwest region.