HC Deb 23 January 1986 vol 90 c282W
Mr. Ashley

asked the Paymaster General if he will tabulate in the Official Report the failure rate of businesses in the three months after the completion of the 12-month period under the enterprise allowance scheme; and what is the failure rate of businesses run by disabled people.

Mr. Trippier

A survey of former enterprise allowance scheme participants three months after the allowance had stopped showed that, of those taking advantage of a full year on the scheme, 14 per cent. had ceased to trade at the time of the survey. No comparable figure is available for businesses run by disabled people.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Paymaster General how many people were participating in the enterprise allowance scheme at the latest date for which figures are available; and, of these, how many were disabled.

Mr. Trippier

Fifty-two thousand, four hundred and one people were in receipt of the enterprise allowance on 16 January 1986. No statistics are kept of the numbers of disabled people on the scheme.