To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the criteria for development area status; and whether north Devon meets these criteria.

This was set out in the 1983 White Paper "Regional Industrial Development" (Cmnd 9111) as follows:

"In considering the designation of an Assisted Area, the Government have regard to criteria first laid down in the Industrial Development Act 1966 (currently in section 1(3) of the Industrial Development Act 1982), namely:

"all the circumstances actual and expected, including the state of employment and unemployment, population changes, migration and the objectives of regional policies".

The current assisted areas map restricts development area status to 15 per cent. of the working population of Great Britain, and intermediate area status to a further 20 per cent.On present unemployment rates in the travel-to-work areas which make up the hon. Member's north Devon constituency, there is unlikely to be justification for development area status.