§ Mr. GregoryTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses were established in the Yorkshire and Humberside region in 1979, 1983, 1987 and the most recent year; how many net new businesses were established for the same periods; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarI have been asked to reply.
The available information, based on VAT data, is given in the table. Figures are not available before 1980. Although 1988 is the latest year for which these detailed figures are available, early indications from data collected by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are that there was a net increase in 1989 in the United Kingdom as a whole of 1,500 a week on average, compared with 1,200 a week in 1988.
767W
VAT registrations and deregistrations in Yorkshire and Humberside Thousands Registrations Deregistrations Net change 1980 11.9 11.0 0.9 1983 13.7 11.0 2.7 1987 14.8 13.1 1.7 1988 16.9 12.9 4.0