§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms have been helped by the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme since its introduction. [157192]
§ Nigel GriffithsSince the Small Firms Loan Guarantee began in June 1981, up to the end of January 2004, 88744 loans have been guaranteed. Some small firms may have benefited from more than one loan.
§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been spent on(a) grants for research and development, (b) grants for investigating an innovative idea and (c) knowledge transfer partnerships since they were introduced; and of each total, how much has been spent on administration. [157193]
§ Mr. Timms(a) and (b) expenditure for the Grant for R and D and Grant for III from 1 June 2003 to 31 January 2004 is as follows:
Programme spend (£) Administration1 (£) Grant for R and D 950,000 Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea
270,000 3,189.000 Former Smart scheme1 32,768,000 1From 1 April 2003 to 31 January 2004 Note: Administration of all three programmes is unified. (c) Since Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (including the former TCS programmes) were introduced approximately £20.5 million has been spent. The administration costs to date are approximately £1.75 million.