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North West Industrial Development Board

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list the members of the North West Industrial Development Board and the dates of their appointment; [90660]

(2) when he next intends to announce an appointment to the North West Industrial Development Board. [90651]

Mr. Wills: The members of the North West Industrial Development Board and the dates of their appointment are as follows:

Members	Date of appointment
Mr. Raymond Armstrong	1 January 1999
Mrs. Lorraine Clinton	1 May 1998
Mrs. Christine Coates	1 January 1993
Mr. John Dixon	1 August 1997
Mr. John Hancock	29 March 1995
Mr. David McCall	1 August 1997
Mr. Kirit Pathak	1 January 1999
Mr. Anthony Pilkington	1 January 1994
Mr. Anil Ruia	1 January 1994
Mr. Anthony Strachan	1 August 1998

At the present time, there are no definite dates for the announcement of further appointments to the Committee.

14 Jul 1999 : Column: 212

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the persons who have attended each of the last 12 meetings of the North West Industrial Development Board when applications for regional selective assistance have been under discussion. [90661]

Mr. Wills: The attendees of the last 12 meetings of the North West Industrial Development Board are listed on the table. Please note that meetings were not held in October or November 1998.

14 Jul 1999 : Column: 211

NWIDB Attendance: May 1998--June 1999

	May	June	July	August	September	December	January	February	March	April	May	June
Board Members
G. Elliott	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
J. Dixon	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
P. Hynd	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
D. McCall	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
A. Pilkington	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
A. Strachan	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
R. Armstrong	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
L. Clinton	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
C. Coates	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
A. Ruia	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
J. Hancock	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
K. Pathak	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Officials
D. Rae	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
D. Higham	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
P Styche	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
D. Harrison	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
C. Rushby	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
J. Lappin	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
A. Davis	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
J. Long	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
D. Cooke	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
M. McCrae	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
P. Money	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
L. Fallows	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
C. Aspey	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
P. Dobson	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
H. Nicholson	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
I. Wright	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
M Henesey	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
S. McKeow	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
F. Duffy	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
O. Davies	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No

14 Jul 1999 : Column: 211

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what guidance he gives to members of the North West Industrial Development Board on the exercise of their responsibilities on behalf of the Secretary of State; [90662]

(2) what guidelines he has given to members of the North West Industrial Development Board on the policy of his Department towards the allocation of regional selective assistance to areas of high unemployment in the North West of England. [90664]

14 Jul 1999 : Column: 212

Mr. Wills: Members of the North West Industrial Development Board, the other Regional Industrial Development Boards and the Industrial Development Advisory Board give advice to Ministers from a commercial perspective on higher value RSA cases, within the RSA Scheme criteria.

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions in each of the last five years decisions taken by the North West

14 Jul 1999 : Column: 213

Industrial Development Board have been subject to amendment by the Secretary of State under the Industrial Development Act 1982. [90663]

Mr. Wills: There has been one such occasion.

Regional Selective Assistance

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list by name of recipient all allocations of regional selective assistance in the last five years to organisations in the North West of England, the value of the assistance and the date of the allocation, in development and intermediate areas separately. [90668]

Mr. Wills: As the list requested runs to some 900 companies, I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of that letter in the Libraries of the House.

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what circumstances pressures from competitors on UK commercial undertakings can be taken into account by the members of industrial development advisory committees or those advising them when considering applications for regional selective assistance. [90652]

Mr. Wills: Applicants are only eligible for regional selective assistance if they are making new investments. As well as the viability of the project, competition and job displacement are factors taken into account when considering applications.

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what statistics are collected by his Department in respect of rejections of applications for regional selective assistance which lead to the cancellation of the proposed investment projects and a consequential loss of potential jobs. [90653]

Mr. Wills: The Department keeps a record of all regional selective assistance applications. It is not part of the scheme procedures, however, to continue contacts with unsuccessful applicants, and subsequent developments are not, therefore, routinely recorded.

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs or potential jobs lost as a result of refusals of applications for regional selective assistance which have led to the cancellation of the proposed investment in each of the last three years. [90654]

Mr. Wills: No estimate has been made. It is reasonable to assume, however, that the figure would be small. Within available funds, the Department gives a sympathetic hearing to any eligible application and the main reasons for rejection are either on grounds that a project will proceed in any event without grant or that a project is not viable and would not, therefore, provide sustainable jobs.

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the cost of regional selective assistance per job created in the North West of England in the last five years. [90655]

Mr. Wills: The average cost per job resulting from Regional Selective Assistance offers accepted in the North West over the last five years is £4,019.

14 Jul 1999 : Column: 214

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions in the last five years members of the North West Industrial Development Advisory Committee or those who advise them have had to stand aside from the consideration of regional selective assistance applications for reasons of either personal or professional conflict of interest. [90656]

Mr. Wills: There have been nine occasions of such instances as quoted by my hon. Friend.

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he next intends to review the workings of the Industrial Development Act 1982 in relation to the allocation of regional selective assistance. [90658]

Mr. Wills: I have no plans to review the workings of the Industrial Development Act 1982 for this purpose.

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