§ Stephen HesfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what help her Department is offering to women entrepreneurs; and if she will make a statement. [17329]
§ Ms HewittMy Department recognises the increasingly important contribution that women entrepreneurs make to the nation's economy. It also recognises however that relatively fewer women set up business in the UK than in comparable countries such as the US. Through the Small Business Service (SBS) my Department is therefore working to research and better understand their needs and tackle any specific barriers that they may face in starting and running their own businesses.
Women who are thinking of setting up or who are already running their own businesses are able to make use of the full range of services provided by the SBS through Business Link operators. In addition the SBS:
has undertaken research about the characteristics of women entrepreneurs, including the sponsorship of a three day conference at Durham University on female entrepreneurship ("Shifting the Gears" 10–12 September 2001).is responsible for the Phoenix Development Fund, which is looking at various innovative ways of providing business support and training to women entrepreneurs. All 96 Development Fund project are available to women and of these 16 have women as their main focus. Details of all of these projects can be found at www.sbs/phoenix/devbid.aspis providing specific advice to women as part of the Business Link website, at "http://www.businesslink.org/cgi-bin/bvl/ index j sp?urlid=5&P COID=-9156&subtupe=4#gohere" which also provides links to other relevant organisations.