§ Mr. WillettsTo ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the new enterprise areas announced in the Pre-Budget Report are; how they were chosen; and if he will make a statement,. [88201]
§ John HealeyEnterprise Areas are designed to improve access to and take-up of a number of Government policy measures focused on tackling the barriers to small business in disadvantaged areas. They are intended to ensure that these policies form a coherent package from the perspective of existing and potential new businesses, so that take-up by businesses in disadvantaged areas is easier, and effectiveness in improving outcomes is increased. In addition to stamp duty exemption on property transfers up to £150,000, and policies designed to tackle market failures and provide better business support, the Government is looking at ways to make the planning regime in Enterprise Areas more flexible.
The Enterprise Areas are the 2,000 most deprived areas across the UK. They are the same as the areas which benefit from the stamp duty exemption on property transfers up to £150,000. A list can be found at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/so/disadvantaged.htm. A list was also placed in the House of Commons Library on 27 November 2001.
The areas were selected using the best available data on multiple deprivation in each of the countries of the UK. These were: in England, the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000; in Wales, the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000; in Scotland, the Scottish Area Deprivation Index 1998; and in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Measures of Deprivation 2001.