Business Start-ups

HC Deb 08 July 2003 vol 408 cc745-6W

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the business start-up rates were in(a) Merseyside, (b) the North West and (c) the UK in 2001–02; and how many survived for a year. [124205]

Nigel Griffiths

Business start-ups are measured officially by VAT registrations. The latest year for which VAT registration data is available is 2001.

VAT Registrations 2001
	Number	Rate per 10,000 adults
United Kingdom	175,455	37
North West	17,565	32
Merseyside Metropolitan County1	3,370	30
1 Excludes Halton UA

Source:

Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1980–2001, Small Business Service.

One-year VAT survival data is available for 2000 but not yet for 2001.

They show a greater-than-average survival rate for businesses in Greater Merseyside.

VAT Survival Rates: Businesses still registered for VAT 12 months after registration
	Percentage
United Kingdom	91.4
North West	90.6
Greater Merseyside2	92.4
2 Includes Halton UA

Source:

Small Business Service