§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the achievements of his Department and his policies in helping small businesses over the last 12 months compared with the previous 12 months; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.
§ Mr. EggarIn 1988–89, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continued to place a part of its requirements for goods and services with small businesses. The value of this business over the last two financial years was:
£ million 1987–88 15.06 1988–89 16.38 These figures represent 15.9 per cent. of the total expenditure in the last financial year compared to 12.5 per cent. the previous year.
A number of FCO departments are involved in the purchasing function. Each department monitors and records its own expenditure with small firms. New systems are being introduced into the main purchasing centres to enable the information to be recorded by computer.
The FCO director of purchasing disseminates to purchasing departments information and guidance on procurement from small firms. He ensures that, whenever possible, such firms are included in invitations to tender and that they are awarded contracts if their offer is the best on a value-for-money basis.
The FCO also provides assistance to small firms through the export promotion services available at posts overseas.