§ Mr. David Atkinsonasked the Prime Minister if she will list those Government measures of particular help for small businesses since 1979.
§ The Prime MinisterMeasures introduced since 1979 to help small firms include the business expansion scheme which increases the supply of finance for investment in unquoted companies, the loan guarantee scheme which has recently been extended for a further three years and the enterprise allowance scheme which assists unemployed people to start up their own business and has been extended to provide 86,000 places in 1986–87 and 100,000 in each of the following two years. In addition, we have just launched a small firms merit award for research and technology (SMART) as a pilot scheme to stimulate innovation in small firms.
The Manpower Services Commission provides a range of small business training courses at a cost of £20 million in 1986–87.
Advice and counselling services have been greatly extended through the Government's small firms service and development of local enterprise agencies which now number more than 300. Under the local enterprise agency grant scheme, £2.5 million is available in 1986–87 to support such agencies in England.
§ Mr. David Atkinsonasked the Prime Minister if she will list those Government measures of particular help to small business which are the subject of current legislation or are planned.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Finance Bill will include a number of tax changes helping small firms, including the indefinite extension and improvement of the business expansion scheme and more favourable tax arrangements for recipients of the enterprise allowance. Also the Department of Trade and Industry has announced that later this year it will introduce an advisory service to help small and medium sized firms to improve their marketing.