asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish a table showing the applications for (a) regional development grants and (b) selective financial assistance in each year since 1979, and by each standard region.

[pursuant to his reply, 18 November 1985, c. 23]: I regret that the information requested is not available for section 8 grants or on a regional basis for regional development grants (RDG). However, the tables show the number and value of applications for regional selective assistance (section 7) by region and the number of applications and related capital expenditure for RDG for GB only.that in 1984 the contribution of the automobile industry to the manufacturing total has fallen, while that of electronics may have risen.