§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the performance of Staffordshire Business Link since April 2001. [90148]
§ Nigel GriffithsBusiness Link Staffordshire has performed well since April 2001. During the 2001–02 financial year the Business Link Operator had an average quarterly usage rate1 above the England average. Working with over 5,000 individual businesses they achieved an annual penetration rate of 15.8 per cent. Overall satisfaction with the service provided was 85.5 per cent. compared to the England average of 81.1 per cent.
In 2002–03 at the six-month stage they had a penetration rate of 17.1 per cent. compared to the England average of 13.5 per cent., with overall satisfaction running at 81 per cent.
The Business Link Operator generally performs well as part of the regional network taking its share of responsibility on regional initiatives and working with the SBS regional team and Advantage West Midlands. They also made a significant contribution with their partners in Staffordshire in response to the foot and mouth outbreak and its resultant effects on farms and businesses.
1 Usage Rate—Number of businesses/individuals using Business Link services counted on a quarterly basis. Different from penetration rate as includes the possibility of counting a business in more than one quarter. England penetration rate not available for 2001–02.