§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the number of small companies who participated in British Overseas Trade Board overseas trade fairs in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FletcherAnnual details of the size of companies which have used the British Overseas Trade Board's schemes of support at overseas trade fairs are not known. But an independent consultants's survey in 1983 established that overall about 60 per cent. of the exhibitors who have used these schemes have less than 100 employees. An internal study in 1984 showed that about 70 per cent. have 200 employees or less.
Statistics about the number of occasions on which particular companies have exhibited at each particular trade fair where there is a BOTB group have been kept only since 1981. The pattern of first-time exhibitors has been as follows:
Number 1981 3,350 1982 3,737 1983 3,335 1984 3,193 There is no reason to suppose that the pattern was different before 1981 or that the proportion of small companies among the newcomers is less than the overall proportion of small companies in BOTB assisted groups of exhibitors.