§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will estimate the total number of firms in Great Britain employing(a) fewer than 20, (b) fewer than 10 and (c) fewer than five employees; if he will list these totals as a percentage of the total number of firms registered in Great Britain; if he will provide similar information For European Community and OECD countries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthThe available information for the United Kingdom is given in the following table. I regret that comparable information for other countries is not available.
Number of businesses1 by size band United Kingdom; end 1989 2Employment size band Number of businesses thousand Share of total businesses per cent. 1 to 5 2,621 87.7 6 to 10 181 6.1 11 to 19 92 3.1 1includes all businesses, whether registered for VAT or not. 2Total employment, including self-employed proprietors.