Small Businesses (Hansard, 19 June 1986)

§ Dr. Boyson

In the past year the Local Enterprises Development Unit (LEDU), Northern Ireland's small firms agency, has introduced a market development grant scheme to help small firms adopt a better approach to marketing and a property development grant to encourage private developers to provide accommodation suitable for small companies. LEDU has also substantially revised its enterprise grant scheme for business start-ups, increasing the grant levels and adding a second tier of grant to stimulate very small firms to expand their work force. In April 1986 I announced an additional allocation of resources to this scheme, which will enable it to cater for a further 200 businesses in the current year.

In addition, LEDU has extended its interest relief grant scheme to include interest charged to companies for factoring services and has significantly increased the grant limits under the better business services and innovation support services schemes, which help small firms to obtain professional expertise on business problems and the introduction of new technology.

Outside LEDU's sphere, I have announced an expansion of the Northern Ireland enterprise allowance scheme to 2,200 places by April 1987 and a reduction in the qualifying period of unemployment for the scheme from 13 to eight weeks.

A product development workshop has been established at Springtown training centre in Londonderry. The workshop's aim is to provide facilities to entrepreneurs wishing to develop new ideas or to manufacture prototypes.

Small firms in Northern Ireland may also benefit from the introduction or improvement of schemes administered on a national basis, such as the small firms loan guarantee scheme.

A major element in the Government's effort to help small firms is the policy of deregulation which, as the White Paper "Building Businesses … not Barriers" indicates, is being pursued as a parallel exercise in Northern Ireland.