§ 52. Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many new small businesses have started up in each of the past five years; how many people they employ in(a) Ealing and (b) in total; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe latest available estimates provided by the Department of Employment in respect of the numbers of new businesses first registered for VAT are:
Year United Kingdom Ealing 1983 180,000 929 1984 182,000 1,090 1985 182,000 1,057 1986 191,000 1,131 1987 205,000 1,311 Although most of the new businesses are likely to be small the numbers of people they employ is not recorded. Over the period the total numbers of businesses registered in the United Kingdom increased by 11 per cent., while for those registered in Ealing the increase was 38 per cent.