§ 28. Mr. RathboneTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he is making of the efficiency of his Department's help for small businesses. [13533]
§ Mr. PageThe Department is taking a number of steps to ensure that the needs of small businesses are met.
The current programme of "Your Business Matters" conferences being organised by the small firms representative organisations is enabling small businesses themselves to have a direct say in the development of future Government policy for the sector. The outcomes of the conferences will be considered in this year's competitiveness White Paper.
The recently established small business ministerial group aims to ensure that the needs of the small business sector are considered in the formulation of policy across Whitehall Departments.
The network of business links is now 80 per cent. complete and is already having a significant impact on the local business community; over 4,000 businesses a week are using business link. Every firm in England will have access to a business link by April this year when they will be the normal delivery route for DTI services.
The range of initiatives and schemes operated by this Department are all subject to careful monitoring and evaluation and are reviewed regularly to ensure they meet the needs of the business community.