§ Mr. Thurnhamasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is considering introducing a review procedure for small businesses in place of the current audit system following the proposals of the White Paper, "Lifting the Burden", Cmnd. 9571, in July 1985; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HowardThis was one of the possible options referred to in the consultative document "Accounting and Audit Requirements For Small Firms", which my Department published last June. However, it attracted little support from consultees and has therefore not been pursued. An announcement about the outcome of the consultation as a whole will be made shortly.