§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what support he has given to the Newcastle technology centre's Techsearch programme; what conclusions and evaluation he has made of this programme; and what further development of this programme he proposes to support.
§ Mr. AtkinsUnder the business improvement services scheme a grant of 55 per cent. of the cost of providing database services to eligible small firms (Techsearch) up to a maximum of £145,323 was offered on 13 August 1986 for the period up to 31 March 1989. Techsearch is a pilot project which is monitored by DTI/NE officials to ensure compliance with the terms of the offer before payments are made. Progress measured by numbers of initial subscribers has been satisfactory. It is too early for a fuller evaluation, which will be influenced by the ability of Techsearch to continue on a self-financing basis when grant payments have ended. There are no present plans to support further development on Techsearch.