§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for Industry what progress has been made in providing incentives to encourage small businesses to set up and expand; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorI refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 25 October to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, North (Mr. Durant).—[Vol. 29, c. 725–26.] Many of the measures referred to in that answer provide incentives to encourage small businesses to set up and expand. I am sending my hon. Friend the full list and copies are also available in the Library. I am constantly looking at ways to help further.
§ Sir David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list in the Official Report all the measures currently in force to assist small businesses; and what each one is budgeted to cost in the current financial year.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe Government have introduced nearly 100 measures in order to assist and improve the climate for small businesses. The list of measures runs to nine pages of foolscap and I have therefore made copies of the list available in the Library. Copies can also be obtained from my Department's Small Firms Service and I have forwarded a copy to my hon. Friend.
It would not be possible to cost every measure. Some of them assist large as well as small firms; others are unquantifiable or depend heavily on the degree of take-up.