One-stop Shops (Hansard, 17 March 1993)

§ 4. Mr. David Shaw
To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to see the first of the one-stop shops open for business; and what is his timetable for opening a one-stop shop in the Dover and Deal area.

§ Mr. Heseltine
I expect the first one-stop shops to open for business by the summer. In this year's competition a bid was received from Kent which was not shortlisted for interview. A further round of bids will be invited in the autumn for centres opening in 1994–95. I hope that a bid will come forward that includes the Dover and Deal area.

§ Mr. Shaw
My right hon. Friend will be aware that small businesses offer the greatest opportunity for bringing us out of the recession, for recovery and for creating many new jobs. My right hon. Friend should not hide his light under a bushel or be a shrinking violet by ceasing to promote the opportunities that one-stop shops can bring about to help small businesses to generate the recovery that the country needs. May I commend to him the fact that the Dover area will undergo considerable change as a result of the channel tunnel and the single European market and that a one-stop shop based in Dover would be most welcome? I hope that he will ensure that his officials do everything possible to enable a proposal to be put forward and accepted for the Dover and Deal area.

§ Mr. Heseltine
I realise that my hon. Friend has noticed that it is my customary reticence which turns me into a blushing violet. I will have to improve my outlook. Challenged by him to do so, let me congratulate and support my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on producing a Budget full of good news for small businesses, including help on the uniform business rate, capital gains tax, the small firms loan guarantee scheme, the business start-up scheme, exports, the simple scale charge for business bands, the deregulation initiative, simplified taxation and the auditing of small companies. Yesterday was a very good day for small businesses.

§ Mr. Nigel Griffiths
Why is it that the President of the Board of Trade announced on 10 July 1992 that his one-stop shop scheme would forge ahead when, eight months later—after 11 months in office and after 14 years of Conservative government—not one shop has opened but his policies have closed tens of thousands of shops?

§ Mr. Heseltine
With characteristic zeal, the hon. Member ignores the fact that 400,000 small businesses started up last year.