§ Mr. CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total expenditure of Business Links in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of that was on(a) salaries and (b) administration. [86636]
§ Mr. WillsBusiness Links are private, independent organisations and the Department does not collect statistics on the total expenditure of Business Links or individual elements of it.
§ Mr. CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was his Department's total expenditure on Business Links in(a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; and what expenditure is planned for 1999–2000. [86638]
§ Mr. WillsThe total amount of funding provided for the Business Link programme by the Department in the periods 1997–98 and 1998–99 were £129.2 million and £121.1 million respectively. For 1999–2000 the Department has earmarked £139 million for Business Link programme funding, which includes an element of funding specifically for developing services of the new Small Business Service.