APPENDIX 8
Memorandum from the Welsh Office
AIM
1. The aim of the Government's economic policy
for Wales is to spread increasing prosperity throughout Wales,
with a Welsh economy that can compete successfully in the international
marketplace, within an overall British economy that aims to be
the best. This note provides an overview of Government support
for investment in industry in Wales. (It does not deal with the
agriculture, tourism or education sectors, nor with the work of
local authorities.)
ECONOMIC STRATEGY
2. On 21 October 1997 the Government published
a consultation document on an economic strategy for Wales. This
represented the first stage in a programme for improving public
sector support for the development of the Welsh economy. The vision
is to have a high quality economy, with a diverse range of companies,
including a sound base of innovative SMEs, producing high value-added
products and services. This requires dynamic management and an
innovative, skilled, well motivated, and flexible workforce, and
these in turn require investment in training.
PARTNERSHIP
3. The Government recognises that central government
is only part of the equation and that it is necessary to establish
successful partnerships with the private sector, with local government,
and with other agencies, to create a more prosperous future for
Wales.
4. Much development occurs without the involvement
of direct Government support; for example, the large investment
by British Steel in Wales; the hundreds of millions pounds invested
by telecommunication providers such as BT and Cabletel; along
with the investment programme in the energy and utilities sector
by Hyder, Manweb, Powergen, National Power, Mission Energy and
others. There is also large scale investment in other areas such
as the retail sector. Over the period 1992-1995 (the most up-to-date
data available) capital expenditure in the manufacturing sector
totalled £3.2 billion, in the energy, mining and water sector
it was £1.6 billion, and in the transport and communication
sector £1.3 billion.
5. At the UK level, the Government's objective
is to create the right climate for such investment, particularly
financial stability and sound public finances. The Government's
new monetary framework is aimed at delivering low inflation and
generating greater confidence in long-term decision making, leading
to lower long-term interest rates. Firm control of public finances
and successful deficit reduction should help raise the level of
national saving and increase the resources available for investment.
The reforms to the corporation tax system announced in the 1997
Budget—the abolition of advance corporation tax, the removal
of the bias in the tax system, for dividends which distorted investment
financing, and the cut in corporation tax—should also help
to improve the climate for investment.
PUBLIC SECTOR
SUPPORT
6. There are, however, circumstances where direct
public sector support for investment is considered to be justified.
Hence, for example, Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) which
aims to reduce disparities in employment opportunities between
Assisted and non-Assisted areas. The scheme provides grants to
support investment projects in the Assisted Areas which create
or safeguard jobs, and which otherwise would not take place in
those areas. The scheme does not differentiate between types of
applicants and is available equally to new or existing businesses,
overseas or indigenous. Inward investment from overseas has, however,
assumed a higher profile and the large overseas investments catch
headlines. Nevertheless, over the last 10 years (to 31.3.1997)
payments of RSA have divided more or less equally between foreign-owned
companies (£226 million) and domestically-owned companies[1]
(£219 million). Further details on the distribution of RSA
can be found in Annex 1.
WELSH DEVELOPMENT
AGENCY AND
THE DEVELOPMENT
BOARD FOR
RURAL WALES
7. The Welsh Development Agency (WDA) and Development
Board for Rural Wales (DBRW) have common principal objectives.
These are: attracting high quality inward investment, promoting
indigenous business growth, and helping to create a competitive
business infrastructure for their areas. Within these, the priority
is to continue to promote the growth of high quality jobs and
competitive industry, with increased focus on encouraging development
in the areas of greatest need (particularly the West and the Valleys)
in line with the Government's objective of spreading increasing
prosperity throughout Wales.
8. The main investment expenditure in relation
to these objectives is the property development programme. This
aims to maintain the supply of strategic sites for significant
investment and develop the involvement of the private sector in
the provision and management of property to meet the needs of
both indigenous businesses and inward investment. In the last
five years,[2]
the WDA has spent £263 million and the DBRW £49 million
on this programme, including land acquisition, construction and
site development.
9. The DBRW is also involved, with the local
authorities, in the administration of the Mid Wales Development
Grant (similar to RSA). Since 1993-94, some £7 million has
been provided to companies under this scheme.
SUPPORT FOR
INWARD INVESTMENT
10. The attraction of inward investment has
been an important part of the process of diversifying the industrial
base and regenerating the economy of Wales. The WDA has played
a leading part in this process. There are now over 300 overseas
owned manufacturing companies in Wales, operating some 380 plants
and employing almost 76,000 people. Major inward investors in
Wales include Matsushita, Sony, Sharp, LG, Ford, Toyota, Calsonic,
General Electric and Nordam. They, and many other companies, have
given Wales significant strengths in the consumer and office electronics,
automotive components, and aerospace sectors.
11. Inward investors have also worked closely
with Wales' indigenous companies, very often helped by the Source
Wales programme operated by the WDA, so that they might source
their components locally. There has been steady development of
inward investments to become fully integrated manufacturing operations,
which has in turn reduced the import of components and resulted
in large scale export of completed products.
SUPPORT FOR
SMALL AND
MEDIUM-SIZED
ENTERPRISES
12. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
play a very important part in the Welsh economy. There are over
62,000 of these firms, each employing fewer than 200, in Wales
and between them they employ over 625,000 people. This represents
almost two thirds of Welsh employees. In common with companies
elsewhere in the UK, Welsh SMEs face stern challenges in seeking
to maintain their competitiveness. Improving support for smaller
companies is one of the Government's priorities. It is seeking
to address the concerns of small businesses via a range of practical
actions—for example a review of the current business rating
system is under way; new legislation to help small companies tackle
the problem of late payment of bills is before Parliament; and
steps to reduce red tape are being promoted via the Better Regulation
Initiative (under the Government of Wales Bill, the Assembly will
be under a duty to consider the costs to business of any secondary
legislation it proposes). Additionally, the business support agencies
within Business Connect are working to meet the main needs of
SMEs. The main planks in this support are detailed below.
TEC enterprise programme
13. The TECs in Wales manage, under contract
to the Welsh Office, a range of schemes to assist SMEs improve
their competitiveness and to help them to grow. Most important
among these are the Small Firms Training Initiative (designed
to encourage practical training within small companies), the Diagnostic
and Consultancy Scheme (a problem-solving service) and promotion
of the Investors in People standard. In conjunction with the Local
Enterprise Agencies, the TECs also encourage new businesses to
establish, particularly from among the unemployed. A further,
new, element of this programme is the Sole Traders Initiative
which is helping self-employed people in Wales to take on their
first employees. In 1997-98 some 4,000 new and established firms
are expected to be assisted by the TEC enterprise programme within
a total budget of £10 million.
Source Wales
14. The WDA's Source Wales programme aims to
help Welsh businesses improve their sales and profitability. It
has two main areas of activity: locating supply opportunities
and matching Welsh suppliers; and helping to develop the expertise
of Welsh companies to meet the requirements of major buyers. Forecast
expenditure on this programme in 1997-98 is £2 million. The
programme is expected to result in deals worth £14.5 million
in 1997-98.
Environmental performance
15. The Welsh Office, through the Business and
Environment Campaign, is encouraging SMEs to invest in environmental
management systems to gain financial and operational benefits.
The campaign is run in partnership with other bodies, including
the WDA, the Wales Environment Centre and the Environment Agency.
It provides mainly manufacturing companies with free advice on
energy and waste management, best practice guides and case studies,
seminars and workshops, and the opportunity to participate in
subsidised projects. (Total expenditure is around £200,000
per year).
RSA for small firms
16. The Government recognises that small firms,
as well as large companies, may require assistance to encourage
them to invest in the Assisted Areas. The application process
can often be daunting for a small firms and the Welsh Office has
therefore introduced streamlined procedures, and shorter processing
times, for smaller grants. Over the last 5 years, 26 per cent
of RSA offers were for amounts less than £25,000, and a further
48 per cent were for less than £250,000. In 1996-97, £6.3
million of payments related to grants of less than £250,000.
Overseas Trade
17. The Welsh Office's Overseas Trade Service
provides support in the form of market advice, contacts with potential
customers or agents and a trade mission programme, to encourage
new exporters, and to improve the export performance of Welsh
industry. The subsidised trade mission programme was introduced
in April 1993 and offers a 50 per cent subsidy on mission costs
for the first representative of a Wales-based company employing
under 500 people. Thirty-seven trade missions involving 592 companies
have taken place. As a result of these missions, the companies
concerned have taken firm orders totalling £29 million, with
a further £37.5 million in prospective orders. The cost of
this programme to date is £650,000.
18. The WDA also assists SMEs to develop new
business opportunities in world markets through its Global Link
programme which provides export-related services and seeks to
encourage international collaborative ventures such as joint product
development. It is estimated that for 1997-98 this will result
in 100 substantive links and significant business opportunities
being identified. (The cost for 1997-98 is around £800,000.)
Access to Finance
19. Many smaller companies have problems gaining
access to appropriate and flexible forms of finance. The Government
is working to ensure that such finance is available to firms in
Wales. The WDA provides support to Welsh companies through its
Wales Development Loan Scheme. A new business angels network known
as Xenos, managed by the WDA and delivered through Business Connect,
was launched by the Secretary of State in September 1997; and
other potentially useful funding mechanisms are being considered
in cooperation with the private sector.
INNOVATION
20. Innovation is widely accepted as being crucial
to the future competitiveness of any economy. The Regional
Technology Plan for Wales (RTP) provides, by consensus, a
focal point for efforts by a large number of organisations and
institutions across Wales to promote a change in culture in favour
of innovation and technology. The RTP provides a framework for
public sector resource allocation, including EU regional development
funding.
Grants for Innovation
21. The Welsh Office provides direct assistance
for smaller businesses for the development of highly innovative
products and processes via the "SMART Wales"
grants (SMART, SPUR and RIN ). Around 100
companies are assisted each year. (Total expenditure is around
£3.3 million per annum).
Advice and Guidance
22. Advice and guidance to SMEs on innovation
matters is available:
— through the network of Innovation
and Technology Counsellors attached to Business Connect throughout
Wales—cost £450,000 p.a.;
— through the Welsh Design Advisory
Service (which also provides a Materials Information Service)—cost
£300,000 per annum; and
— through the "Inside Welsh
Industry" programme which enables managers in SMEs to
see the application of best practice by planned visits to exemplar
companies—cost £25,000 per annum.
Technology Transfer
23. Supporting innovation through better and
more productive links between businesses and academic institutions
in Wales are the objectives of a number of business support schemes:
— the transfer of technology from universities
and colleges into industry for more effective commercialisation
is supported under the Teaching Company Scheme and College-Business
Partnerships programmes—cost £527,000 p.a. (in
addition to funding provided UK-wide by DTI and the various Research
Councils);
— the WDA has a range of programmes
under the general heading of Technology Transfer which
provides in-depth assistance to organisations to identify and
exploit new product/technology opportunities. These include: Centres
of Expertise—designated centres within academic institutions
which aim to enhance commercial collaboration between specialist
groups in academia and industry; STRIDE—covering technology
audits among Welsh SMEs and the Technology Links project; and
the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Awareness Centre (The budget
for 1997-98 is £1.8 million.);
— the Wales Graduate Employment
Programme, operated by the WDA, aims to increase the direct
employment, by Welsh SMEs, of highly skilled people; to encourage
continuing professional development for graduates, and the delivery
of core skills in the industrial context. This programme complements
Cymru Prosper Wales under which some 400 short term work placements
with Welsh SMEs are arranged each year for students at colleges
in Wales;
— academics wishing to explore with
local SMEs opportunities for the better utilisation of new technologies
can obtain funding support under the Technology Transfer
Scheme—cost £80,000 per annum;
— the Wales Relay Centre
is one of a number of such centres which disseminate information
on EC-funded R&D programmes and promote technology transfer
opportunities throughout the Community. It provides expert support
to Welsh organisations—both companies and academic/ research
teams—identifying opportunities in EC R&D schemes, preparing
proposals, locating partners and furthering the exploitation of
projects.
Wales Information Society
24. In recent years Wales has made increasing
use of the new electronic technologies. The proper use of these
new opportunities is essential if Wales is to be a modern society
with cutting-edge industry and commerce. The Wales Information
Society project was launched by the Secretary of State in July
1997, and is managed by the WDA. The purpose is to take stock
of the current position and to advise on what further steps should
be taken for Wales to become a successful `information society'.
INVESTING IN
SKILLS
25. Along with direct support for capital investment,
it is clear that further increasing investment by companies in
the skill and knowledge of their staff is required if the Welsh
economy is to retain and improve its competitive position.
26. Under the Government's youth and adult training
programmes, TECs may provide support to eligible individuals who
are recruited into jobs. Youth programmes are open to young people
(aged 16-24) who are not attending school or college. They include
both Modern Apprenticeships and National Traineeships. In addition
the New Deal for 18-24 year olds, operated by the Employment Service,
will provide skills training and work experience for young people
who have been unemployed for 6 months or more.
Modern Apprenticeships
27. Modern Apprenticeships in manufacturing
engineering were introduced in Wales in 1994 and are intended
to be a high quality work-based training route for young people.
They are designed to national standards by employer-led National
Training Organisations in conjunction with employers.
28. There are currently 7,000 young people undertaking
Modern Apprenticeships in Wales and 38 per cent of these are in
the manufacturing sector. Modern apprenticeships currently operate
in 70 sectors including those with previously no tradition of
apprenticeships such as retail and banking. More frameworks are
being developed and will eventually be available for every sector.
National Traineeships
29. National Traineeships, which were introduced
in September 1997, offer young people who have left compulsory
education a high quality work-based route to qualifications. Employer
involvement in the design and delivery of the Traineeships and
the focus on the attainment of key skills will ensure that the
training offered meets the development needs of young people and
gives employers the skilled workforce they need.
30. The Work-based Training for Adults programme
(previously Training for Work) is open to those aged 18—63
who have (usually) been unemployed for at least 6 months. TECs
are able, in conjunction with employers, to design programmes
of customised training to meet the needs of the company concerned.
This is a facility offered to inward investors. In addition, TECs
have the option of using their discretionary funds for bespoke
training to support investment projects. For example, in conjunction
with the WDA several training centres have been established to
provide dedicated services for key sectors (automotive, semiconductors
and electronics).
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
31. The two priorities for the future are to
ensure that support for investment in industry is provided as
coherently, efficiently and effectively as possible; and to ensure
that Wales possesses an appropriately skilled workforce. The efficiency
and effectiveness of all programmes are currently being considered
as part of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review.
Organisational Changes
32. The Committee is aware, from a previous
enquiry, of the Government's plans for the Economic Powerhouse
and for the restructuring of the TECs in Wales.
Improving service delivery
33. In line with the Government's Manifesto
for Business, steps are being taken to strengthen Business Connect—to
help it fulfil its potential as a key vehicle for the National
Assembly to take forward business development matters in Wales.
As the first step, action is in hand on a Five Point Improvement
Plan—covering action to raise its profile in the business
community; to improve service quality; to promote a stronger team
approach; to encourage good quality business starts; and to maximise
the benefits of IT. The economic strategy consultation document
also invited views on how Business Connect might be strengthened
further in the future and the range of comments received will
be taken into account in the drawing up of the economic strategy
action plan.
34. There are a large number of organisations
which facilitate technology and knowledge transfer in Wales. The
range of services they offer collectively is wide. But there is
a case for more coherence and easier access. The Welsh Office
has, therefore, published a consultation paper—A `Know-How
Centre' for Wales?—which canvasses views on possible
ways of forging improved company-college links that are more coherent
and more comprehensive. The consultation period ends on 31 March
1998.
Skills Priorities
35. In order to help develop the necessary strategic
approach to the challenges facing education and training in Wales,
the Welsh Office has set up an Education and Training Action Group
. The Action Group is made up of representatives of industry,
education, training and government and is charged with publishing
an Action Plan setting out the agreed measures that will be taken
to improve the capacity of schools, FE and HE institutions and
other education and training providers to upgrade the skills of
both young people and adults.
36. Skill shortages have been evident in recent
years at technician level, and to a lesser extent at craft level
in manufacturing industry. A wide range of action is in hand to
tackle this, most notably the "Action Plan for Manufacturing
Training in Wales" which has been drawn up by the Council
of Welsh TECs with the support of the WDA, the DBRW, the Funding
Councils, the WLGA, the CBI and the TUC. A Steering Group of senior
representatives of the TECs and these partners has been established
to manage implementation of the plan.
37. Further action will be needed if skills
supply is not to constrain industrial development. The two most
fundamental issues are how to persuade young people of the right
calibre to make their careers in manufacturing and how to secure
greater action by employers.
38. It is important that effective investment
to meet future skills needs is based on a sound assessment of
current and future trends in the labour market. TECs have been
asked to agree with local authorities, the WDA, and DBRW, and
with the regional economic fora, local skills priorities to support
economic development and to promote local action to meet these
priorities through their work with employers, schools, and further
and higher education establishments.
39. The organisations involved will therefore
undertake a labour market research project in 1998 aimed at providing
an assessment of current and future skills needs across the whole
of Wales. The project will provide information on the skills available
within the workforce relating to both employed and unemployed
persons and how they relate to those skills demanded by employers.
It should also provide forecasts identifying employment opportunities
and needs by industrial sector. This will be the first time that
detailed information on current and projected skills needs will
be available on a consistent all-Wales basis and it will help
inform a national skills strategy.
Economic Strategy
40. The economic strategy will provide the cornerstone
of future development. Some 150 responses have been received to
the consultation paper. They have come from a wide cross-section
of the Welsh community: local government; economic development
organisations; academics; industrial organisations; and individuals.
The responses are now being considered in detail, but overall
they have been generally favourable and constructive. They will
inform the statement of priorities that will be published later
in the year, which in turn will chart the way forward in achieving
the objectives of the Government's economic policy in Wales.
Helen Usher
Industrial Development Division
6 February 1998
ANNEX 1
REGIONAL SELECTIVE ASSISTANCE
OFFERS ACCEPTED
1992-93 TO 1997-98—BY
OLD COUNTY
TABLE 1
Outturn by County
| County | Number of projects | Offer value | Forecast investment | Forecast jobs |
| | £000 | £000 | |
| Clwyd | 191 | 73,757 | 549,785 | 11,706 |
| Dyfed | 98 | 13,729 | 89,575 | 3,033 |
| Gwent | 210 | 198,552 | 2,514,630 | 24,107 |
| Gwynedd | 62 | 11,554 | 77,338 | 2,254 |
| Mid Glam | 244 | 127,819 | 899,562 | 18,911 |
| Powys | 15 | 694 | 5,139 | 277 |
| South Glamorgan | 86 | 21,645 | 304,580 | 5,005 |
| West Glamorgan | 123 | 24,335 | 183,772 | 5,561 |
TABLE 2
Comparison of percentage of offers and jobs created
with percentage of workforce per county
| County/percentage | Workforce | RSA Offers (number) | Jobs (excluding LG) | Jobs (including LG) |
| Clywd | 14.0 | 19.6 | 18.1 | 16.5 | | Dyfed | 12.4 | 9.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | | Gwent | 15.1 | 20.4 | 27.8 | 34.0 | | Gwynedd | 8.0 | 6.0 | 3.5 | 3.2 | | Mid
Glamorgan | 18.2 | 23.7 | 29.2 | 26.7 | | Powys | 4.8 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | | South
Glamorgan | 15.1 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 7.1 | | West
Glamorgan | 12.5 | 12.0 | 8.6 | 7.8 |
The old county boundaries have been used to
allow a number of years to be used. Only Assisted Areas are eligible
for RSA. Only a very small part of Powys is within an Assisted
Area.
Supplementary Memorandum from the Welsh
Office on Business Support in Wales
BACKGROUND
1. There are a number of bodies in the public
and private sectors involved in the provision of services for
businesses in Wales. In the public sector, or with public sector
finance, the main agencies are the new Welsh Development Agency,
the Training and Enterprise Councils, the Enterprise Agencies,
the Local Authorities, the Wales Tourist Board and the Welsh Office.
Over the years these bodies have developed different core strategies
and programmes in support of industry. The overall situation may
be summarised as follows:
— The Welsh Development Agency
is responsible for the promotion of Wales as a location for business
and for the co-ordination of inward investment. Its responsibilities
also include land reclamation, urban renewal and property development.
In addition the Agency provides services to businesses in areas
where there is a requirement for its expertise or a need for an
all-Wales approach. These services include Source Wales (which
promotes supply chain opportunities among Welsh companies); various
projects to encourage technology transfer as well as schemes to
improve the supply of finance to businesses. These services tend
to focus on the larger companies (employing 25 or more). The new
WDA will, of course, also include the business development services
of the Development Board for Rural Wales.
— Key services for small businesses,
especially micro businesses (those employing less than 10) and
new start-ups, are best managed and delivered locally. The Local
Enterprise Agencies have therefore specialised in this area,
drawing funding from a variety of sources including local authorities
and the private sector, but also importantly from sub-contracts
from the TECs for the delivery of elements of their enterprise
programme.
— The Wales Tourist Board is
the lead agency for the development and marketing of the tourism
industry in Wales. It provides a range of support to this important
sector—including advisory services, grants for development
projects and research and marketing support.
— The TECs themselves manage,
under contract to the Welsh Office, a range of schemes to stimulate
enterprise and to assist SMEs to improve their competitiveness.
These activities are normally delivered "on the ground"
via contracts with enterprise agencies and other private sector
providers—the role of the TECs being to take a view of the
local needs of their area, based on the judgement of their boards
(the majority of whom are unpaid members of the local business
community).
— One of the key functions of the local
authorities in Wales is to promote economic development in
their areas. They undertake a range of activities in support of
this including the provision of grants and loans to new and small
businesses and the provision of workshop premises. The local authorities
normally work closely with the enterprise agencies in providing
support to local businesses.
— In addition to its role in industrial
policy development, the Welsh Office itself delivers a number
of programmes for business, primarily grant schemes. These are
described in more detail in the Department's memorandum (dated
February 1998) to the Committee but include Regional Selective
Assistance (to support investment projects in the Assisted Areas);
a range of overseas trade services to help businesses in Wales
to export, and under the SMART Wales banner, grants to encourage
innovation.
BUSINESS CONNECT
2. As indicated above these agencies all have
their different core services and areas of expertise—but
to ensure that business support is provided in a reasonably consistent
and coherent way and to minimise confusion for businesses, there
is a clear need for them to work effectively together. It was
against this background that the Welsh Office issued in June 1994
the prospectus "Improving Business and Enterprise Support
Services in Wales". The consultation which followed resulted
in the establishment of local business development consortia,
each comprising partnerships of local business support organisations.
This network was launched in January 1996 as Business Connect.
BUSINESS CONNECT—KEY
FEATURES
3. Business Connect is essentially a first stop
shop, providing easy access for small and medium size companies
in Wales into the wide range of support services available to
them. Any of the centres in the network can be contacted via the
single all-Wales telephone number—0345 96 97 98. The system
automatically routes the caller to their nearest business centre.
Trained staff are available in the centres to deal with the business
enquiries: and client needs are either met direct by the local
centres or referred to an appropriate source of expert help. The
staff at the centres are trained to deal objectively with a very
wide range of enquiries. The aim of the network is to provide
the simplest possible means of access for business anywhere in
Wales, while preserving local focus and core expertise.
4. All the main business support agencies in
Wales are involved in Business Connect—the local authorities,
TECs, the enterprise agencies, WDA/DBRW and the Welsh Office as
well as private sector interests. These agencies have organised
themselves into the consortia referred to in paragraph 2 above
to facilitate collaborative working and a local "team Wales"
partnership approach to meeting business needs. From the outset
a key aim was to make the most effective use of the existing business
support infrastructure—so no new buildings or agencies were
created. A map showing the boundaries of the consortia and the
location of the local centres is attached. Over 60,000 calls were
received by the Business Connect network in 1997, 15,000 via the
0345 service.
STRENGTHENING OF
BUSINESS CONNECT
5. Business Connect has helped improve the delivery
of services to businesses in Wales, especially by simplifying
access to the range of available support, and in strengthening
local partnerships between the main agencies. But as was explained
in the recently published "Pathway to Prosperity" document,
more needs to be done to ensure that business support is effectively
targeted and delivered in line with an all-Wales strategy. At
the same time the profile of Business Connect among the business
community needs to be raised further, and local partnership arrangements
need to be strengthened (they are stronger, and therefore more
effective, in some parts of Wales than others). To help tackle
these issues, Business Connect is to be reorganised in a way which
builds on the strengths of the partnership approach and on the
key role of locally-delivered services. A new all-Wales Management
Board is to be created—Business Connect Wales—on which
all key partner organisations will be represented. This will provide
a stronger strategic focus for the Business Connect network. In
addition the Business Connect consortia will be geographically
rationalised and improved. Action is in hand to take this very
important work forward.
Helen Usher
Industrial Development Division
July 1998
1 Domestically-owned = UK-owned: figures are not available
to distinguished "Welsh" applicants. Back
2
Includes forecast spend to the end of 1997-98 Back
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