§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 23 February 2004,Official Report, column 56W, on Business Support, if she will list the DTI funded business support schemes that have been discontinued since January 2003. [158879]
§ Ms HewittAll DTI funded business support schemes are being replaced by a small set of more strategically focused products. Four of these new products (Small Firms Loan Guarantee, Grant for Research and Development, Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships) have been available since spring 2003. Further products will be made available from April this year.
Under current plans, the legacy schemes shown in the lists will not, from April 2004, receive any new DTI financial support over and above what has already previously been committed to them. In some cases there will be a tail of activities to which the Department has made legal commitments. The first list shows legacy schemes that have closed to new customers since January 2003. The second list shows legacy schemes that currently remain open to new customers and in some cases may continue to exist with funding from other sources.
- List 1
- Aeronautics Research Programme (CARAD)
- Applications Technology Support
- Automotive College
- Biowise
- Broadcast Digital Test Bed
- Building Up Biomaterials
- Competitiveness for the Oil and Gas Supplies Sector
- CONNECT
- E-Business Chemicals Facilitator
- Enterprise Grant Scheme
- European Interest in Minerals
- Financial Advisory Services (bioscience)
- Fit for the Future
- Foresight LINK Awards
- Harnessing Genomics
- Information and Communication Technologies Carrier Scheme
- Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Skills Programme
- Inside UK Enterprise
- International Technology Service
- Manufacturing for Biotechnology
- Mosaic
- Next Wave Technologies and Markets
- Partnership Fund
- Practical Electronic Business Leadership Scheme
68W - Regional Selective Assistance
- S@tcom
- Service Mission Support
- Smart
- TCS
- UK Analytical Partnership
- UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme
- UK High Technology Fund
- UK Online for Business
- Work Life Balance Challenge Fund
- List 2
- Advanced Metal Technologies Initiative
- Automotive centers of Excellence
- Benchmarking Index
- British Geological Survey Project
- Chemical Industry Sites Participation (Reputation) Project
- Early Growth Funding
- E-Business Programme for the UK Chemicals Sector
- Electronics Design Programme
- Engineering and Maninery Alliance
- Envirowise
- Faraday Partnerships
- Industry Forum Adaptation Initiative
- LINK Collaborative Research Scheme
- Motorsport Development programme
- NESTA Futurelab Industry Placement Scheme
- Phoenix Fund
- Regional Venture Capital Fund Programme
- Supply Chain Groups
- Waste and Resources Action Programme.
In addition to the schemes listed above, the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme will close to new guarantees for support after 5 April 2005. New applications will continue to be accepted until 1 October 2004 and a further period for signature of guarantee contracts will be permitted until 5 April 2005. My Department will be in contact with stakeholders in the next few days to explain the arrangements for closure of this scheme.