§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the achievements of(a) his policies and (b) his Department and the Northern Ireland departments in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against 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. Needham[holding answer 22 July 1991]: The Government continue to place a high priority on helping small businesses through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and other measures, and through specific programmes of support and assistance.
Government policy in relation to small businesses in Northern Ireland is administered by the Local Enterprise Development Unit which is funded by the Department of Economic Development. The table sets out a number of indicators comparing the results of LEDU's performance in 1989–90 and 1990–91.
1989–90 1990–91 Jobs promoted 5,944 6,986 Cost per job (£) 4,344 4,175 LEDU percentage contribution to project costs 31 28 Number of offers made 1,122 1,355 Grant commitments (£ million) 24.412 25.680