§ 52. Mr. PageTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking to promote exports by small and medium-sized firms.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkOur existing services to exporters are designed to be of particular use to smaller companies. About 75 per cent. of companies that use them have fewer than 200 employees. The measures my right hon. and learned Friend announced yesterday include additional support for such companies. In particular, the consultancy assistance now available to companies with fewer than 500 employees is an important new initiative designed to help them plan their approach to exporting, and we are planning to introduce soon a repackaging of our export services which we think will meet more closely the needs of exporters, particularly the smaller or inexperienced exporter.