§ Mr. Porterasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the assistance to companies made available under the quality assurance support scheme.
§ Mr. ButcherThe quality assurance support scheme, which was launched in 1983 to run for four years, provides assistance to firms employing up to 500 people to introduce quality management systems and to demonstrate their quality achievements through independent assessment. The aim of the scheme was to provide clear evidence of the benefits to smaller firms of good quality management and certification by building up a portfolio of successful case studies, the lessons from which could then be disseminated more widely.
To date over 600 applications have been made for assistance under the scheme, of which 372 have been received this year. This reflects growing awareness on the part of industry and commerce of the importance of quality to Britain's competitiveness, a message which the Government has been promoting vigorously through its national quality campaign. The quality assurance support scheme, which is part of that campaign and on which £3.8 million will have been spent once outstanding applications have been processed and the projects completed, has thus fulfilled its objective. It has therefore been decided that no further applications under the scheme can be accepted as from midnight today. A full evaluation of the scheme will be conducted in 1987 and its results made public.