§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department uses a database of individual small businesses for consultation purposes. [142477]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThere is no DfES departmental small business contact database. Normally DIES uses contacts in the representative bodies eg Small Business Council, Confederation of British Industry, Federation of Small Businesses; or through our delivery partners such as Learning and Skills Council and Sector Skills Development Agency as a way of consulting small firms. DfES shares research that the Small Business Service or DTI have gathered. The Department's small firms portal can also be used to seek views.