§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the support programmes for small businesses that(a) his Department and (b) its 94W agencies have financed in each of the last five years; how much money was allocated for each scheme in each year; how much money has gone unclaimed under each scheme; and how many small businesses have benefited from each scheme. [161257]
§ Maria EagleAs a result of the cross-cutting review of Government services for small business, Jobcentre Plus' employer strategy is developing services to make them more responsive to the diverse characteristics and recruitment needs of smaller businesses.
Jobcentre Plus is undertaking an ongoing programme of research to understand the characteristics and needs of small businesses; developing a proactive and co-ordinated approach towards raising awareness of some of the services offered through the local office network; introducing Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) specialists in each region to support local office delivery; and continuing to build on strategic partnerships with the National Employment Panel SME Board, Business Link, Learning and Skills Councils and others at local level to deliver more coherent services to small businesses.
However this Department does not have any financial support programmes for small businesses. This is an area for the Department of Trade and Industry.