HC Deb 17 May 1989 vol 153 c213W
87. Mr. David Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment has been made of the impact on British business of the activities of the task force on small and medium-sized enterprises; and what plans there are to extend the role of the task force in the run up to 1992.

Mr. Cope

As part of its action programme for small and medium sized enterprises, the task force has introduced a number of initiatives designed to assist SMEs. Most of these are at a pilot stage and have yet to be assessed, but some evaluation has been carried out of the network of European information centres set up by the Commission, of which there are four in the UK. Clients of these centres have reported a high level of satisfaction with these services and the commission now proposes to extend the network.

The Commission has also put forward a proposal for a formal legal base for the activities of the task force, and closer involvement by member states in its plans for the future. The UK Government welcome these proposals, placing particular priority on the task force's deregulatory activities and the need to evaluate its cost-effectiveness carefully.