§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses registered and deregistered for VAT in(a) Pendle and (b) the north-west for each year since 1991. [26728]
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryCustoms does not have information concerning the number of businesses registered and deregistered in the Pendle constituency. The local VAT office at Blackburn covers, in addition to Blackburn, the towns of Bolton, Burnley, Accrington and Clitheroe. Figures for the north-west cover Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The numbers of registrations and deregistrations for VAT since 1991 are as follows:
Year Registration at Blackburn Office Deregistration at Blackburn Office Registration in the North-west Deregistration in the North-west 1991 2,298 2,911 18,644 21,484 1992 2,114 2,369 17,326 21,370 1993 2,099 2,523 16,412 20,752 1994 1,904 2,339 15,174 18,600 19951 395 561 3,776 4,352 1 To end March.