To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the average time taken to approve applications under the loan guarantee scheme in each of the last five years.
No information is held on the average time taken to approve applications prior to January 1992. Since that time, 99 per cent. of applications were cleared by the Department of Trade and Industry within five working days of receipt.
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many applications under the loan guarantee scheme were successful in each of the last five years; and what was the average value of the loan guaranteed expressed in constant 1993 prices.
Information on the scheme is held by financial year. The number of applications guaranteed in the last five years with their average value expressed in constant 1993 prices is as follows:
| Year | Loans guaranteed | Average value (£) (constant 1993 prices) |
| 1988–89 | 2,266 | 35,071 |
| 1989–90 | 3,204 | 36,323 |
| 1990–91 | 3,387 | 27,582 |
| 1991–92 | 2,933 | 24,515 |
| 1992–93 | 2,342 | 22,350 |
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total value of loans secured under the loan guarantee scheme in each region of Britain in each of the last five years, expressed in (a) cash and (b) constant 1993 prices.
Information on the scheme is held by financial year. The total value of loans guaranteed in each region of Britain in each of the last five years, expressed in (a) cash and (b) constant 1993 prices is as follows:
1988–89
| 1989–90
| 1990–91
| 1991–92
| 1992–93
| |
| Northern Ireland | 1·12 | ·92 | 1·21 | ·58 | ·41 |
Value of guaranteed loans by constant 1993 prices (£ million)
| |||||
| North East | 5·57 | 6·08 | 5·12 | 3·73 | 2·15 |
| North West | 8·44 | 11·87 | 9·48 | 5·62 | 3·55 |
| Yorks and Humberside | 6·55 | 8·75 | 5·66 | 3·44 | 3·75 |
| West Midlands | 6·18 | 7·41 | 6·54 | 4·87 | 3·56 |
| East Midlands and Eastern | 4·81 | 5·68 | 5·65 | 7·42 | 6·32 |
| London and South East | 27·47 | 48·77 | 40·71 | 28·26 | 17·74 |
| South West | 7·01 | 11·59 | 10·07 | 10·10 | 7·15 |
| Scotland | 5·17 | 8·99 | 4·9 | 4·44 | 4·33 |
| Wales | 6·8 | 6·26 | 3·83 | 3·39 | 3·39 |
| Northern Ireland | 1·4 | 1·08 | 1·33 | ·60 | ·41 |