§ Mr. SumbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what services will be provided to small firms by the Government business shop opened in Manchester; and what plans there are to open further such shops in England and Wales.
§ Mr. MaudeI have been asked to reply.
The Manchester Government business shop, which is based in the small firms centre, will help business people carry out some of the basic transactions required by Government and obtain information and assistance in a single place. It will deal with:
- VAT registration and information
- information on business tax
- PAYE and national insurance
- information on employment protection and health and safety requirements
Government business shops are part of a pilot exercise and Manchester is one of six locations. The others are in Glasgow, Newcastle, Doncaster, Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare and Reading. The pilot schemes will run for six months and from the experience of these shops we shall decide whether and how we should proceed to a more extensive network, in the light of the reaction of business clients, costs and benefits and effects on existing services.