§ Mr. DunnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the future of consultancy support for small firms provided by his Department.
§ Mr. HeseltineConsultancy support for small and medium-sized businesses will continue beyond the life of the present enterprise initiative consultancy scheme in the form of a flexible consultancy and diagnostic service.
As I announced in the House on Tuesday, Official Report, columns 145-55, I shall publish a prospectus and guidelines for this service in January, inviting training and 343W enterprise councils to submit proposals on behalf of business link partnerships to deliver the new service on a pilot basis in 1994–95. I expect the service to become nationally available from 1995–96, as the business link network is completed.
This new service will provide businesses with high-quality support, available locally and tailored to their individual needs. It will build and improve on the existing and highly successful enterprise initiative consultancy scheme.
In addition, I intend to trial a new consultancy brokerage service from January 1994, for introduction nationwide later in the year. This will open up to all businesses the considerable wealth of data and project management experience which has been accumulated on UK business consultants for the EI consultancy scheme.
These new services will be developed and introduced alongside the present scheme to ensure a smooth transition from the old to the new.
I have decided therefore that the present EI consultancy scheme will no longer close on 31 March 1994. It will instead remain open until we have received another 10,000 applications. This means we shall be supporting 10,000 projects beyond the previously announced closure date.
At current rates of demand that should enable us to continue accepting applications until well into next year, by which time new arrangements for consultancy support through business links will be in place.