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14 Jun 2004 : Column 714W—continued
Surveys
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what surveys of public perceptions of his Department and of its areas of responsibility have taken place over the last 12 months; what the (a) title and (b) nature of these surveys was; what the findings of each survey were; where these findings have been published; what the cost of such surveys was; and if he will make a statement and place copies of the surveys in the Library. [176942]
Mr. Mullin: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, together with UK Trade and Investment, the British Council and Visit Britain, jointly commissioned an International Tracking Study, comprising opinion poll research carried out in October 2003 in 15 countries, which benchmarked attitudes towards the UK against key competitors. The costs were shared jointly by the four organisations, and amounted to £64,000 each. We are placing the report of the findings in the Library of the House. In addition to this quantitative survey, we have also conducted some qualitative research (primarily relatively low-cost focus groups) to help target our public diplomacy activities.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Alvis Plc
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Office of Fair Trading's investigation into the proposed takeover of Alvis plc by General Dynamics Corporation will be complete; and why the proposed takeover of Alvis plc by General Dynamics Corporation was referred to the Office of Fair Trading. [177779]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
I asked the Office of Fair Trading to look at the merger as I believed that the interests of national security may be relevant to the proposed acquisition. I announced on 3 June that I had decided
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not to refer to the Competition Commission the proposed acquisition of Alvis plc by General Dynamics Corporation, provided the parties give undertakings to remedy the public security concerns arising in this case. The effect of the undertakings proposed would be that General Dynamics Corporation would be required to take certain measures to enable the UK to maintain its strategic capabilities and protect classified information and the intellectual property rights of the Ministry of Defence.
Business Start-ups
Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in Bootle since 1997. [176526]
Nigel Griffiths: Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales, including 500 in Sefton local authority (which contains the constituency of Bootle), in the fourth quarter of 2003. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. There were 2,200 business start-ups in Sefton local authority in 2003. Data for local authorities are not available for before 2003.
DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Sefton local authority (for which Bootle is a constituency) for the period 1997 to 2002 are shown in the table. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 570 |
| 1998 | 585 |
| 1999 | 565 |
| 2000 | 545 |
| 2001 | 580 |
| 2002 | 560 |
Source:
Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service.
VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in Stoke-on-Trent, North since 1997. [177620]
Nigel Griffiths:
Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start ups in England and Wales, including 200 in Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority and 1,300 in Staffordshire county (which both contain part of the constituency of Stoke-on-Trent, North), in the last quarter of 2003. Data for local authorities are not available for before 2003.
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The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before.
DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority and Staffordshire Moorlands local authority (which both contain part of the constituency of Stoke-on-Trent, North) are shown in the following table for the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.
| Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority | Staffordshire Moorlands Local Authority | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 470 | 235 |
| 1998 | 440 | 235 |
| 1999 | 475 | 250 |
| 2000 | 475 | 235 |
| 2001 | 455 | 205 |
| 2002 | 450 | 265 |
Source:
Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service, available from www.sbs.gov.uk/analytical/statistics/vatstats.php. The figures are also in the Libraries of the house.
VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to help small businesses in Stoke-on-Trent, North since 1997. [177621]
Nigel Griffiths: The Business Link Operator for Staffordshire, Staffordshire Business Support Ltd., has provided assistance to 1,144 enterprises, in the Stoke-on-Trent, North constituency since 2001. The Small Business Service was set up as an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry in April 2000. Contracts were exchanged with a national network of 45 Business Link Operators (six in the West Midlands) to provide Business Support to small and medium sized enterprises from April 2001. Before this date Government Support to business was provided through Training and Enterprise Councils and the SBS does not have access to this data.
73 of the 1,145 companies received Business Start Up advice, other assistance provided included Workforce Development, Financial advice, Investors In People, Specialist Business Advice, International Trade, and Marketing assistance.
95 of the companies were Female run businesses and 392 were ethnic run businesses.
Since April 2000 the Enterprise Grant scheme (which closed on 31 March 2004) enabled 12 companies to receive offers of grant with a total value of £430,000.
Since 1997 the Research and Development scheme and its predecessor Smart enabled two local companies to receive offers of grant with a total value of £90,000.
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Business Support
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses have been helped by the London Development Agency in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each year from 2000; what the average sum of money received by these businesses is; how many of the businesses helped are still operating; and how many of these businesses have increased their profitability. [177128]
Nigel Griffiths: The London Development Agency's (LDA) performance is assessed by the Mayor and Government against a framework of key targets, including the number of businesses created/attracted/retained/expanded, 1 and the number of business interventions. 2 The following table summarises the total number of businesses created/attracted/retained/expanded as a direct result of LDA activities from March 2001. The LDA did not collect data along these lines in 2000–01. Figures cannot be accurately generated for each London borough, as the businesses assisted are not necessarily based in only one location.
1 New businesses starting full time operation within the region and sustained for at least 12 months or business retained within the region as a result of direct activity. Expansion refers to an increase in the workforce of at least 5 per cent.
2 The provision of non-financial support to businesses.
| Reporting year | LDA target | Outputs achieved |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 1,785 | 2,073 |
| 2002–03 | 990 | 1,368 |
The business interventions target was introduced for 2003–04. Performance data for 2003–04 will be published in July 2004 by the GLA and the Department for Trade and Industry.
Because much of the support that the LDA gives to business is indirect and is not in the form of financial subsidy, the LDA does not collect figures on the average sum of money received by businesses.
Apart from the data needed to monitor whether businesses added to the regional economy have been in operation for at least 12 months, the LDA does not collate statistics on the number of businesses it has supported continuing to be in operation, nor on their profitability.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been allocated to support businesses in London in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) sector and (b) borough. [177178]
Nigel Griffiths: Information on the allocation of business support is not readily available at a sector and borough level, and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what international research her Department has commissioned concerning state support for business development by sector; and if she will place the results in the Library. [177179]
Nigel Griffiths:
In 2001 DTI commissioned a study, 'People as Vectors of Technological Capability in Technology, Knowledge and Skills Transfer Schemes'. The emphasis of the study was on technology transfer
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and the means by which business could acquire specialist skills and knowledge without the costs and risks of employing specialist staff. It concluded that such knowledge transfer schemes have strong theoretical and empirical support in international practice. Two of DTI's innovation related products are designed to facilitate knowledge transfer.
DTI has recently completed a series of Sector Competitiveness Analyses in the following sectors: construction; electronics; call centres; plastics processing; and retail sectors. Further Sector Competitiveness Analyses are underway in the following sectors: software and computer services; and healthcare equipment. These studies, which have a large economic component, aim to compare the UK sector's labour productivity with that of other countries and to investigate the reasons for differences. The results will be used to inform decisions on the DTIs provision of support for business.
A further study is under way to review the literature relating to policies designed to promote enterprise in developed market economies, particularly the USA, France and Germany. This review will cover both underlying philosophies and strategies and specific policies related to the promotion of enterprise. The research, due to be completed by the end of June will include in depth studies of policy and practice in: US, Sweden, Germany, Australia and Canada plus reviews of specific initiatives in other developed economies.
Copies of all studies will be made available in the Libraries of the House.
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