§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were registered as self-employed in Suffolk and Norfolk for each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. McLoughlinEstimates of self-employed people by county are available only from the census of population for April 1991 which shows 39,915 self-employed people in Suffolk and 51,331 in Norfolk.
Quarterly estimates from spring 1992 and annual estimates from spring 1983 are available from the "Labour Force Survey" for the East Anglia region as a whole which covers Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire.
Self-employed people in East Anglia Number Spring 1983 98,000 Spring 1984 116,000 Spring 1985 118,000 Spring 1986 109,000 Spring 1987 130,000 Spring 1988 147,000 Spring 1989 158,000 Spring 1990 151,000 Spring 1991 138,000 Spring 1992 143,000 Summer 1992 134,000 Source: Labour Force Survey (not seasonally adjusted).
§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make a statement about what steps she is taking further to increase the numbers of the self-employed.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe purpose of the Department's business start-up (formerly enterprise allowance) scheme is specifically to help unemployed people to set up their own business. Over 600,000 people had entered the scheme by April 1992. Over 40,000 entrants are expected this year (1992–93).
The Department also contributes funds to support the work of the Prince's youth business trust and the Prince's Scottish youth business trust in making loans available to disadvantaged 18–25 year olds who have not been able to raise funds for their business ideas from other sources. Some 15,000 businesses have been supported by the two trusts since 1986.