§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses there are in(a) the north-east Region and (b) Surrey; and what estimates she has made of the total income of Business Links in (i) the north-east region and (ii) Surrey in 2002–03 [92834]
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§ Nigel GriffithsAt the start of 2002, there was an estimated 41,865 VAT registered businesses in the North East of England, and 43,525 in Surrey County (Source: VAT registrations and deregistrations: Business Start-ups and closures, published by the SBS in October 2002).
Projected total turnover (income) for the four Business Link Operators in the North East Region in 2002/03 is around £19.9 million.£6 million (30 per cent. of turnover) of this is in the form of a Core Services Grant from the SBS. Total turnover in the North East also includes £7 million (35 per cent. of turnover) of European funding.
Projected total turnover for Business Link Surrey in 2002/03 is around 5.8 million. £3.45 million (59.5 per cent. of turnover) of this is in the form of a Core Services Grant from the SBS. Business Link Surrey do not access any European funding.