Valleys Loan Scheme Dr. Kim Howells To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many loans under the valleys loan scheme have been made to date; what is the total value of such loans; how many jobs they have created or safeguarded; and how many of the recipient firms are still in business. Mr. David Hunt Since 1 April 1988, a total of 178 loans have been placed by the Welsh Development Agency to companies in the valleys programme area. The total value of these loans was just over £1·5 million with an expectation that 799 new jobs would be created. One hundred and twenty-seven—71 per cent.—are in place, with a projection of creating over 550 new jobs and a value of £1·2 million. These figures include loans made under the valleys small loan scheme, the valleys enterprise loan scheme and the rural small loan scheme.-------------------------------- | | -------------------------------- |Scheme | -------------------------------- |Regional Development Grant II1| -------------------------------- |Regional Selective Assistance | -------------------------------- |Regional Enterprise Grants2 | -------------------------------- |Total | -------------------------------- Dr. Kim Howells To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the annual changes in unemployment by local authority districts in the valleys---------------- |District1 | ---------------- |Blaenau Gwent | ---------------- |Torfaen | ---------------- |Islwyn | ---------------- |Merthyr Tydfil| ---------------- |Cynon Valley | ---------------- |Rhondda | ----------------