§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Hull Area Advice Centre Ltd. and its equivalent in Grimsby and Scunthorpe, the Hull Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses and the Humberside District Society of Chartered Accountants were among those organisations approached by A4E when applying for the small business links franchise for Humberside. [146429]
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 22 January 2001]The award of contracts for local delivery of Business Link services is an operational matter for the Chief Executive of the Small Business Service. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend with his response.
Letter from David Irwin to Mr. Kevin McNamara:
I have been asked by Stephen Byers to respond to the Parliamentary Question you have tabled concerning the Small Business Service's decision to make Action for Employment (A4E) the preferred bidder to deliver the new Business Link service in Humberside.In the Action for Employment bid to run the SBS Business Link in Humberside, there was no mention of contact with the Hull Area Advice Centre and its equivalent in Grimsby and Scunthorpe, the Hull branch of the Federation of Small Businesses or the Humberside District Society of Chartered Accountants.