§ Mr. GryllsTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many hours of consulting work were provided for the United Kingdom economy as a result of the Vanguard system.
§ Mr. Butcher[holding answer 19 July 1988]: During the early part of the Vanguard awareness programme, free advice on the use of value added and data services was offered to firms in the United Kingdom. Between October 1986 and May 1987, some 900 firms were given 7,440 hours of consultancy services. Advice on the use of financial and information systems, which includes value added and data services, is now available to small and medium sized firms under the enterprise initiative.