§ Mr. Dobsonasked the President of the Board of Trade how many firms are eligible in Bristol for the consultancy grants scheme for small firms; how many have applied for information and how many have received grants; what is the total cost of grants authorised to date; and what is the total value of the assignments in Bristol.
§ Mr. DellAbout 800 firms in the Bristol area are eligible under the scheme and over 400 have applied for details. Up to 22nd November applications from 55 firms involving 62 assignments worth £183,301 had been authorised. The total cost of grants authorised is £82,928. Grants are only paid after the consultancy has been completed; thus by 22nd November only one firm had received a grant.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the President of the Board of Trade what types of assignments have been made within the consultancy grants for small firms scheme; what sections of industry are involved; and what are the sizes of firms, in terms of manpower employed, who have applied to take part in the scheme.
§ Mr. DellThe position in the Bristol and Glasgow areas up to 22nd November, was as follows:
55W
Types of assignments Production 59 Finance and administration 42 Company development and policy formation 35 Marketing 19 Design 14 Computer feasibility studies and computer applications 9 Personnel 2 Technical 2 Sections of industry Manufacturing 121 Distributive and service trades 40 Construction 19 Transport 2
Size of firms taking part in terms of manpower employed 25 or less employees … … 8 26–50 employees … … 41 51–100 employees … … 54 101–200 employees … … 33 201–500 employees … … 41 Over 500 employees … … 5