To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the inward investment and trade missions sponsored by his Department in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 1997–98 and those planned for 1998–99 and the orders and jobs secured and expected to be secured by each. [33276]

Details of inward investment and trade missions undertaken and planned to date for the years in question are set as follows:

Trade missions

Trade missions undertaken in 1996–97 generated actual orders of just over £7 million and prospective orders of over £34.6 million. Trade missions undertaken in 1997–98 generated actual orders of just over £1.8 million and prospective orders of over £33.6 million. Details of numbers of jobs created are not collected but, of the companies involved in 1996–97, 60 have created new jobs and a further 27 expect to create employment opportunities. Of the companies involved in missions in 1997–98, 65 have reported job creation and a further 8 expect to create additional jobs.

Inward investment missions

The Welsh Office does not sponsor inward investment missions. Ministers do, however, participate in some inward investment missions undertaken by the Welsh Development Agency. Those involving Ministers in 1996–97 and 1997–98 have resulted in the announcement of seven projects which promise the creation of 2,168 new jobs; 438 of those jobs have been created to date.

In addition, there was a visit to LG in Korea in July 1996 to announce the company's project for Wales and its associated 6,106 new jobs.