§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which firms have been helped by the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the(a) Northern Region, (b) Tees Valley area and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency; and which of those firms were given advice on added value. [184701]
§ Jacqui SmithThe regional centre of the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the North East (MAS-NE) dealt with 1,323 inquiries from manufacturing companies in the period June 2002 to June 2004. Of these, 1,257 inquiries came from companies based in the North East region, 304 were from companies based in the Tees Valley, and seven were from companies in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency. 146 companies who contacted MAS-NE in this period have gone on to receive in-depth help. The direct impact of this help on company productivity is measured by the "added value". The total added value generated as a result of M AS-NE interventions stood at just over £705,000 at March 2004.
1035WThe names of all companies that have received in-depth assistance from MAS are given in the MAS 2004 Annual Report, which can be found at: www.dti.gov.uk