HC Deb 22 December 1997 vol 303 c513W
Mr. Dismore

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement of progress on the implementation of the EU SME Initiative for England. [22247]

Mrs. Roche

I am pleased to announce that the Initiative was ratified by the Commission on 12 December 1997. This is welcome news for SMEs in the Objective 1, 2 and 5(b) areas of England, who will benefit from some £34 million of European structural funds. The Initiative, which will help SMEs access new international markets and improve their competitiveness, will run until the end of 1999.