§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will estimate the number of private shareholders in(a) Northern Electric and 60W Another important measure to help improve competitiveness has been to simplify the range of business support offered by the Government. This includes the introduction of two challenge funds; one to provide support on a sector basis and one to help address problems at a local level. The DTI as part of the simplification process has announced a radical shake-up of its schemes reducing the total number from 140 to around 25.
There is regular contact between the Department and the small firms representative organisations in order to take into account the views and concerns of small businesses. An example is the recent "Your Business Matters" consultation.
We have established a small business ministers' group with representation across 17 Whitehall Departments. The group is playing a key role in promoting small firms competitiveness throughout all areas of Government policy.