HC Deb 26 July 1993 vol 229 cc527-8W
Mr. David Shaw

To 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 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. Atkins

The Government continue to place a high priority on helping small businesses in Northern Ireland, through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and through specific programmes of support and assistance. Economic development strategy focuses on assisting companies to develop their growth potential and competitiveness and is implemented through the Industrial Development Board (IDB) and the Local Enterprise Development Unit (LEDU)

Each year, IDB and LEDU set challenging targets and measure performance against both these and performance in the previous year.

LEDU had a successful year in 1992–93 with a significant rise in activity levels across its range of programmes, including 3,716 individuals receiving enterprise training against a target of 3,000, and 1,429 new business start-ups against a target of 1,215.

During 1992–93 there was a net increase of employment of 1,020 in LEDU client companies; this represents a significant reversal of the previous years results which showed a net decrease in employment of 650.

Overall, 1992–93 was also a year of substantial achievement for the IDB when viewed against a background of recession at home and overseas. It was a successful year for inward investment, with 10 projects offering almost 2,000 new jobs having been attracted to Northern Ireland. Companies already based in Northern Ireland, many of them employing fewer than 200 people, have been winning business in the highly competitive international marketplace. Achieving and maintaining international competitiveness is promoted by the IDB as the most important objective which companies should strive towards if they are to survive and grow.