§ Mr. PriskTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the timetable for the launch of small business investment companies. [135568]
§ John HealeyThe Government issued a consultation document alongside Budget 2003 called 'Bridging the Finance Gap: a consultation on improving access to growth capital for small businesses'. One of the issues raised by the consultation was the possibility of introducing in the UK a variant of the US Small Business Investment Company programme. The Government are currently considering the responses that they have received from the consultation and will respond to them in due course.