To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he carries out of the financial viability of companies before providing them with relocation assistance.

Grants are not normally made available by my Department solely for the purposes of relocation. Where such a case may qualify for regional selective assistance, a financial appraisal of the commercial prospects of the company would be undertaken to enable a judgment to be made about the viability of the business, before any offer of grant is considered. A simplified appraisal is used for smaller value cases.