§ Mr. George Gardinerasked the Secretary of State for Trade how many new companies were formed between 1st January 1976 and the latest date for which figures are available; how many were formed in each of the previous five years; and how many of these were subsidiaries of existing companies.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisThe numbers of new companies formed were as follows:
year England and Wales Scotland Total 1971 37,988 1,457 39,445 1972 52,059 2,397 54,456 1973 64,677 2,672 67,349 1974 40,371 2,125 42,496 1975 43,428 2,250 45,678 1976 53,912 2,266 56,178 1977* 375 38 413 * To 11th January. Information as to how many of these new companies were subsidiaries of existing companies is not available.