asked the Secretary of State for Industry what proportion of travel-to-work areas in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) England and (d) Great Britain, respectively, were registered as (i) special development areas, (ii) development areas and (iii) intermediate areas, respectively, on 18 July 1979 and 1 August 1980; and what that proportion will be on 1 August 1982, notwithstanding further reviews.
The following are the percentages of travel-to-work areas* designated as special development areas (SDAs), development areas (DAs) and intermediate areas (IAs) on the dates specified:
| 18 July 1979 | |||
| SDA per cent. | DA per cent. | IA per cent. | |
| (a) Wales | 37·5 | 60·0 | 2·5 |
| (b) Scotland | 26·7 | 71·7 | 1·6 |
| (c) England | 6·8 | 11·8 | 23·9 |
| (d) Great Britain | 13·2 | 26·3 | 18·2 |
| 1 August 1980 | |||
| SDA per cent | DA per cent | IA per cent | |
| (a) Wales | 17·5 | 42·5 | 40·0 |
| (b) Scotland | 25·0 | 30·0 | 45·0 |
| (c) England | 4·3 | 10·4 | 28·2 |
| (d) Great Britain | 8·9 | 16·8 | 32·1 |
| 1 August 1982 (subject to review) | |||
| SDA per cent. | DA per cent. | IA per cent. | |
| (a) Wales | 17·5 | 42·5 | 15·0 |
| (b) Scotland | 25·0 | 30·0 | 5·0 |
| (c) England | 4·3 | 9·6 | 7·9 |
| (d) Great Britain | 8·9 | 16·3 | 8·2 |
| * Travel-to-Work Areas divided for AA designation are assigned to the higher of their categories. | |||
asked the Secretary of State for Industry at what level of unemployment he considers granting (a) intermediate aid and (b) development aid status to an area; and what is the smallest area to which he will consider granting the above.
There is no absolute level of unemployment at which intermediate or development area status is granted. This factor is one of several taken into account in designating assisted areas as outlined in the Industry Act 1977 and the overall position of any one area is considered relative to other parts of the country. Assisted area designation is normally on the basis of travel-to-work-areas.