§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in which sectors of the economy(a) small businesses and (b) medium-sized businesses are predominantly to be found. [29572]
§ Mr. KynochAlthough there is no fixed definition of "small" or "medium-sized" businesses, VAT registration data are available by turnover size band and are often used as a basis for analysis. Sectoral data on the number of VAT-registered legal units, by turnover size band, are available for Scotland in table 3E of Business Monitor PA1003 "Size Analysis of UK Businesses" for various years. Copies are available in the Library.
§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were employed by(a) small businesses and (b) medium-sized businesses in each of the last 10 years; and if he will break these figures down by gender. [29571]
§ Mr. KynochThere is no single official definition of small or medium-sized business. However, data for Scotland on the number of persons employed in census of employment data units, which roughly correspond to workplaces, broken down by employee size band are available for 1984, 1987, 1989 and 1991. Those data can be obtained from the NOMIS database, which can be accessed by the staff of the Library of the House. Information by gender is not available.
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§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his Department's definition of a small business and a medium-sized business. [29569]
§ Mr. KynochThere is no single "official" definition of what constitutes a small or medium-sized business. A range of definitions is used, each valid in its own context. For example, the SMART competition is aimed at businesses with up to 50 employees with an annual turnover not exceeding 5 million ecu or a balance sheet total not exceeding 2 million ecu, whereas the SPUR scheme if open to businesses with no more than 250 employers and an annual turnover not exceeding 20 million ecu or a balance sheet total not exceeding 10 million ecu.
§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) small businesses and (b) medium-sized businesses were started up in each of the last 10 years; and if he will break these figures down by gender of the entrepreneur. [29570]
§ Mr. KynochAlthough there is no fixed definition of "small" or "medium-sized" businesses the vast majority of new business start-ups will, by any definition, be small. The best guide to trends in the number of start-ups in Scotland is given by registrations for VAT. Copies of "VAT registrations and deregistrations, county and district analyses 1980–91" and "VAT registrations and deregistrations, county and district analyses 1992–93" are in the Library. Information is not available on gender of the entrepreneur.