§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the operating costs have been of the Business Link Inquiry Service. [70197]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 22 July 2002]: Under the Small Business Service Gateway programme, small businesses are able to access business support services and advice via a number of channels—by calling the Business Link National Enquiry Line on 0845 600 9 006; by logging on to the www.businesslink.org website; or by directly contacting their local Business Link. These channels and the supporting IT systems and infrastructure became operational from April 2001 and are delivered collectively under a single managed service contract.
The operating costs for the Business Link National Enquiry Line are part of the overall costs of the SBS Gateway programme. In the first year these consisted of a service charge of £3.75 million together with variable costs of approximately £770,000. Business Link Enquiry Service costs cannot be disaggregated from these figures.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries per month the Business Link Inquiry Service has handled since its launch. [70196]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 22 July 2002]: From April 2001 the number of telephone enquiries has run at an average of 4,860 per month. From April 2002 with the introduction of the automated call routing technology monthly volumes are now averaging 4,980. The website www.businesslink.org receives 100,000–150,000 visits each month from more than 30,000 individuals. An average of 356 email enquiries per month are also received.
Additionally, in the last year almost 43,000 clients per month were assisted by their local Business Link.