§ 89. Mr. Colin ShepherdTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress and number of enterprise agencies currently operating in the United Kingdom.
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§ Mr. CopeWe know of 429 local enterprise agencies operating in the United Kingdom. Of these, 389 are approved under provisions of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 (previously under provisions of the Finance Act 1982) which allows business sector sponsors tax relief on their contributions to such bodies.
The local training and enterprise councils announced in the White Paper "Employment for the 1990s" will provide a means for ensuring that the provision of small firms counselling and training relevant to local needs is extended and co-ordinated. I would expect enterprise agencies and others to be able to bid for sub-contracts for counselling, training and enterprise councils themselves. This will rest with training and enterprise councils themselves. This will be an important opportunity for local enterprise agencies.