§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what specific measures he proposes to take during the present severe period of unemployment to help the small firms, which provide the majority of jobs in the Province, to prosper.
Mr. ConeannonThe Budget measures recently announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, are expected to make a valuable contribution to the economic health of the small business sector in the United Kingdom as a whole. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Commerce, together with the Local Enterprise Development Unit (LEDU) and the Northern Ireland Development Agency, offers wide ranging financial assistance to encourage the development and expansion of both small and large-scale industry. LEDU in particular is specifically charged with the role of encouraging the development of small local businesses—employing up to 50 persons—and in the financial year just ended, promoted over 1,200 new jobs, the second highest annual total since its inception in 1971.
I shall be keeping the general effectiveness of Government assistance to this sector under continuous review.