91
Written Answers
2 MARCH 1982
circumstances under cover of a letter of 17 February from the town clerk of the city of Manchester council and will be replying in due course.
Keighley
Mr. Cryer asked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total amount of grant aid given in the Keighley intermediate area for 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981, and the estimated number of jobs retained and created for each year by such aid..
Assistan Meiz
Mr. MacGregor: Assistance has been made available alt available to industry in the Keighley intermediate area under parts I and II of the Industry Act 1972 as follows:
Part I. Payments of regional development grant in amounts over
£25,000
£'000 Safeguarded employment
fim Newn employment
1976
58
1977
1978
43
1979
67
1980
1981
273
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
Part II. Section 7: Offers of regional selective assistance
£'000
New
Safeguarded employment
employment
187
182
54
76
45
127
150
48
243
201
128
122
46
17
Part II. Section 8: Offers of selective financial assistance
£'000
1976
279
1977
567
1978
482
1979
70
1980
175
1981
Safeguarded
New employment employment
Information relating to employment safeguarded or created is available only under section 7 of the Industry Act 1982.
Electronics Industry
Mrs. Renée Short asked the Secretary of State for Industry what schemes he is considering introducing to encourage electronics companies to use advanced computer techniques to design, make and test their products; how much is involved; and what publicity will be given to this.
Mr. Kenneth Baker: On 24 February I announced a £9 million, three-year scheme to promote greater use of computer aided design, manufacture and test-CADMAT—techniques in electronics. Details of the scheme have appeared in the press and I have placed copies of the illustrated brochure covering the support available in the Library.
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DATE 2:3.82 92 19
COL.
Written Answers
Man-made Fibres Industry
92
93
Mr. Harold Walker asked the Secretary of State for Industry what assessment he has made of the forecast of the National Economic Development Council sector working party of the man-made fibres industry that if present trends continue the output of the industry will decline to 395,000 tonnes in 1983 with inevitable further closures.
Mr. MacGregor: The man-made fibres sector working party's forecast is based on assumptions about the growth of consumer demand and on the trading performance of the textile and clothing industries. In drawing up the forecast, the sector working party recognised that quite small changes in these assumptions can make significant differences for man-made fibre output. Much will also depend on the business environment.
i
In these circumstances, it is not particularly fruitful for me to speculate about the size of the industry in 1983,
Engineering Council
Mrs. Renée Short asked the Secretary of State for Industry, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Bebington and Ellssmere Port (Mr. Porter) on 10 December 1981, Official Report, column 453, if he has made any further appointments to the Engineering Council; and if he will make a statement on the council's work to date.
Mr. Wakeham: My right hon. Friend has made no further appointments to the Engineering Council. The council is required by its Royal charter to prepare and publish an annual report on its activities.
New Technology
Mrs. Renée Short asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list all the schemes that his Department is currently sponsoring to encourage the use of new technology in industry; how much is involved in each case; and how much has been committed in each case in the current financial year.
Mr. Wakeham: I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Israel
Dr. M. S. Miller asked the Lord Privy Seal what steps the Foreign Secretary intends to take during his forthcoming visit to Israel to improve relations between the United Kingdom and Israel.
Mr. Humphrey Atkins: During his visit to Israel, my right hon. and noble Friend will be examining with the Israeli Foreign Minister ways in which relations between the United Kingdom and Israel might be further improved.
Hong Kong
Mr. Parry asked the Lord Privy Seal if the Hong Kong Government will create a post of ombudsman; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Humphrey Atkins: No. Existing channels for dealing with individual grievances or appeals against Government decisions are considered satisfactory.
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