§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the achievements of his Department and his policies in helping small businesses over the last 12 months relative to the previous 12 months; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.
§ Mr. KeyThe Department of National Heritage was formed in April 1992 and covers the arts, formerly the552W responsibility of the Office of Arts and Libraries; broadcasting, formerly the responsibility of the Home Office; film, formerly the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry; tourism, formerly the responsibility of the Department of Employment; heritage, formerly the responsibility of the Department of the Environment; and sport, formerly the responsibility of the Department of Education and Science. There are, therefore, no statistics covering the Department of National Heritage for the period in question.
The Government continue to place a high priority on helping small businesses, through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and through specific programes of support and assistance. Although the Department of National Heritage has no programmes aimed specifically at small businesses, the Department is fully committed to the Government's deregulation initiative and will seek to ensure that regulatory burdens within its areas of responsibility are kept to the minimum that is necessary.