§ Mr. GryllsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many small firms have received loans under the loan guarantee scheme since its inception; what is the total value so far of these loans; and if he will state the average value of the loans and the estimated cost per job created.
§ Mr. EggarBetween 1981 and 31 March 1990 the loan guarantee scheme has guaranteed 24,797 loans to more than 21,000 small firms. The total value of this lending has been £812 million, and the average amount of each loan was £32,700. The net exchequer cost of the scheme per person leaving the unemployment count is estimated to be of the order of £450.