Oral Answers to Questions — Trade and Industry – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 27 July 1983.
Mr John Biggs-Davison
, Epping Forest
12:00,
27 July 1983
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many offers of assistance have been made under the small engineering firms investment scheme.
Mr David Trippier
, Rossendale and Darwen
By 20 July 1983 we had made 2,716 offers of assistance—1,438 under SEFIS 1 and 1,278 under SEFIS 2.
Mr John Biggs-Davison
, Epping Forest
Do the Government intend to extend investment grants to manufacturing industry as a whole?
Mr David Trippier
, Rossendale and Darwen
The funds at our disposal are limited. Even if it were appropriate, we could not offer investment grants right across the board to manufacturing industry. We have to be selective. That is why investment grants are targeted at specific areas such as high technology and high unemployment.
Mr Bill O'Brien
, Normanton
Will the Minister tell the House what monitoring exercise takes place when the grants are given? Will he note what has happened to the United Glass Company in Castleford? Grants were made to the Canning Town Glass Company to develop a new scheme, thus closing schemes in other areas. Does the Minister agree that that has an important bearing on unemployment in my Constituency and in that of my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Mr. Lofthouse)? Does he also agree that there should be a monitoring exercise to ensure that investment in one area does not cause unemployment in another?
Mr David Trippier
, Rossendale and Darwen
I think that the hon. Gentleman is a little confused. His question is not related to the small engineering firms investment scheme.
Mr Nicholas Budgen
, Wolverhampton South West
Is my hon. Friend aware that in the west midlands business men are less concerned with the small schemes of industrial Intervention than with the gross distortions caused by regional policy? Will the Government please accelerate their review of regional policy while there is still the political will to do something—
Mr Bernard Weatherill
, Croydon North East
Order. The hon. Gentleman's question has nothing to do with the question under discussion.
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