§ Mr. StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his policy for the encouragement of entrepreneurship in Scotland; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of this policy. [22651]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 9 May 1995]: Entrepreneurship is essential to the continued competitiveness of the Scottish economy. The Government have in place a range of initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in business, supporting such careers with an appropriate training infrastructure and providing assistance and advice on the creation and development of small businesses. Specific initiatives include the recent publication of a new framework for action for the development of improved education/industry links; the business birth rate strategy operated by Scottish Enterprise, which is aimed at increasing the number of business start-ups in Scotland; and the promotion by Scottish Enterprise of 1995 as "The Year of the Entrepreneur"—a concept which acts as a framework for a series of events and presentations aimed specifically at encouraging entrepreneurship. More generally, all local enterprise companies are pursuing policies aimed at promoting business activity and entrepreneurship throughout Scotland. The effectiveness of this policy is evidenced by the continuing success of the Scottish economy, both domestically and in terms of its export performance.