§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates she has made of the number of people employed in small retail businesses in(a) the UK, (b) Lancashire, (c) the north west and (d) Wales. [R] [88646]
§ Nigel GriffithsAt the start of 2001 there were 1.1 million people employed in small retail businesses in the UK with less than 250 employees.
Data are available for the north west and Wales at the start of 1999 but only at a greater aggregation that includes wholesale, repairs, retail, hotels and restaurants. There were 361,000 people employed in small businesses classified to these sectors in the north west and 141,000 in Wales.
County level data are not available.