§ Mr. MacKenzieasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small firms, by Bolton committee definition, he has assisted by regional development grant, selective financial assistance or any other financial assistance in the course of the last 12 months to the latest convenient date; and how much money was involved in each region of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Trippier[pursuant to the reply, 13 February 1985, c. 174]: The following table sets out the schemes of assistance for which information on support for small firms is available. None of the information requested is available for regional development grants. Except where indicated, the Bolton committee definition of 200 employees has been used. Information on the amount of assistance given by region could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Assistance Number assisted Amount £ million Period SEFIS I †175 3.6 1984–85 SEFIS II¶ †2,335 20.0 1984–85 In addition, in 1984, the Small Firms Service handled 279,000 enquiries and 35,000 counselling sessions. * To December 1984. † Number of offers accepted/projects assisted. ‡ Number of guarantees given. ║ Open to firms with 60–1,000 employees; figures given are estimates for firms with under 200 employees (Bolton definition). ¶ Figures given are for firms with up to 500 employees. ● Now closed to applications.