§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the current levels of(a) prompted and (b) unprompted awareness of Business Link branded services among small businesses. [157197]
§ Nigel GriffithsIn December 2002, prompted awareness of Business Link was 74 per cent. and unprompted awareness was 17 per cent. A further survey measuring awareness of Business Link is currently being undertaken.
§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Small Business Service can take in relation to an underperforming Business Link operator. [157206]
§ Nigel GriffithsThe actions available to the SBS, under the terms of section 5 of the Business Link Operator (BLO) Operator Agreement, in full to address underperformance by BLOs are
to write formally to the BLO highlighting concern over performance levels and advising them that should performance not improve further action would be taken; requiring the BLO to undergo a Business Performance Review (BPR), that examines the problems faced by the BLO and recommends actions to resolve the problems. The BLO would then need to agree a remedial plan with their SBS or RDA contract management team based on the outcome of the BPR, the implementation of which is closely monitored by the SBS or RDA contract management team;not automatically extending the BLO's contract to a third year and serving notice that unless performance significantly improves, the contract Hill terminate in two years;1071Wif an agreed remedial plan has not been fully implemented the SBS can withhold funding from the BLO until it is satisfied the plan has been implemented in full. The amount of withheld funding can be up to 33 per cent. (depending on the extent of the failure to implement the remedial plan) and;in extreme circumstances the failure to implement a remedial plan can be considered a material breach of the contract and a written notice to terminate the contract served.
§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of businesses helped by each of the UK business link organisations are still operating. [157209]
§ Nigel GriffithsWhile information is not collected from individual business link organisations regarding the survival of businesses that they have assisted. A tracking study of a group of Barclay's bank business customers demonstrated that businesses that received help from Business link organisations and business agencies had a higher survival rate, with 76 per cent. still trading after two years, compared with 63 per cent. of the control group.
§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to encourage businesses to use Business Link; and what proportion of applicants for(a) the, Smart Scheme and (b) the Grant for Research and Development has (i) discussed their application with their local Business Link operator and (ii) maintained dialogue with Business Link throughout the period of their project. [157227]
§ Nigel GriffithsBusinesses are encouraged to use Business Link by a nationally-undertaken programme of paid advertising, including online advertising, sponsorship, events, public relations activity and publications distribution. Businesses are also encouraged to use Business Link through partnerships with third parties and intermediaries, such as banks.
In addition, businesses are encouraged at a local and regional level to use Business Link through promotional activity undertaken by individual Business Link Operators.
(a) The most recent, independent evaluation of Smart, which published its finding; in 2001, found that 50 per cent. of those surveyed had used public business service providers, including Business Link, as a source of additional support in relation to their projects, either at the application stage or subsequently,
(b) The Grant for Research and Development was introduced in June 2003 and early indications are that two fifths of applicants have used Business Link services in preparing their applications. The proportion which has maintained a dialogue is not known.
§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of time her Department's Business Link staff spent on managing the Business Link Network in each year since its inception. [157229]
§ Nigel GriffithsThe current Business Link network of 42 Operators over 45 areas in England was launched in April 2001. The Small Business Service's nine regional teams (around 50 staff), with support from their Head Office set up and managed the contracts. The majority1072W of their time was spent working with Business Link Operators and regional partners to develop the network. The Small Business Service is now increasingly concentrating on influencing policy and delivery decisions across government both in Whitehall and in the regions, and up to a third of the regional staff will be undertaking different roles in line with this new strategy by the end of March 2004.
§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed as part of the national network of e-business advisers located in the Business Link. [157247]
§ Nigel Griffiths151.