§ Mr. GryllsTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the net number of new businesses being created each week so far in 1990.
§ Mr. ForthDuring 1989, the latest period for which figures have been published by my Department, the number of businesses registered for VAT increased by nearly 1,700 a week on average. Early indications from data collected by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise is that there continues to be a substantial surplus of registrations over deregistrations.