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26 Nov 2008 : Column 1945W—continued
Small Businesses: North East
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many and what proportion of businesses in (a) the north-east and (b) each parliamentary constituency in the north-east are small businesses. [235901]
Ian Pearson: BERR SME Statistics provide the most comprehensive data on the number of small businesses in the UK. These statistics include VAT and PAYE-registered employers as well as estimates of the unregistered business population.
Businesses are classified as small if they have between zero and 49 employees. The following table the number of small business and the proportion of businesses which are small in the north-east at the start of 2007. Data for 2008 will be available in summer 2009.
| Small Businesses in the North East | |
| Number/percentage | |
| Source: BERR SME Statistics 2007 http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/sme/ | |
Since 1997, the number of small business in the north-east has increased by 38 per cent.
A breakdown by parliamentary constituency is not available from BERR SME Statistics. However, The Office for National Statistics UK Business publication provides a breakdown of businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE by size and parliamentary constituency. Since ONS statistics include only the registered business population, they exclude the very smallest businesses. The figures are therefore lower than the BERR SME statistics.
The following table shows the number and proportion of small business in the north-east and in each parliamentary constituency in the north-east as of March 2008.
| Region or parliamentary constituency | Number of registered small businesses | Proportion of registered businesses which are small (percentage) |
| Source: Office for National Statistics—“UK Business: Activity, Size and Location—2008” http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=933 | ||
Small Firms Loan Guarantee
Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (1) what the total value of loans (a) applied for and (b) made under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee was in each of the last five years; and what the average value of such loans was in each year; [229060]
(2) how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications for the Small Firms Loan Guarantee have been submitted by small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the last five years. [229065]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 22 October 2008]: For figures on the value and volume of loans made under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee in each of the last five years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2008, Official Report, column 942W, to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Leech).
Small Firms Loan Guarantee Annual Reports to Parliament 2006-07 and 2007-08, set out the average loan value for these years. The Industrial Development Act 1982 Annual Report for the years ended 31 March 2004 (HC 787), 31 March 2005 (HC 207), 31 March 2006 (HC 1292) sets out the value and volume of lending for 2003-04; 2004-05; 2005-06 inclusive. Copies of both reports have been placed in the Library of the House.
Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many successful applications for the Small Firms Loan Guarantee have been made in each of the last five years in the (a) communication and IT, (b) construction, (c) hotels and catering, (d) manufacturing and production, (e) property and business services, (f) sport, health and education, (g) wholesale and retail and (h) other sectors. [229062]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 22 October 2008]: Figures on the number of loans by sector made under the Government’s Small Firms Loan Guarantee during 2006-07 and 2007-08 are published in the SFLG Annual Report to Parliament 2007-08. Copies of the reports have been placed in the Library of the House.
Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme
Alan Duncan:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the economic impact evaluation of the
Small Firms Loan Guarantee referred to in his Department’s Annual Report 2008 has been completed; and when it will be published. [237409]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 24 November 2008]: The latest economic impact evaluation of SFLG is in progress. The results will be published in spring 2009.
Smarta
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects Smarta to go live. [231954]
Ian Pearson: The Smarta website is a private sector enterprise, of which the Department is aware but has no direct involvement in its day-to-day operations.
Textiles: Industry
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of the economy the clothing and textiles industry accounts for. [223832]
Ian Pearson: The clothing and textiles industry contributed £3.4 billion gross valued added to the UK economy in 2006, which is 0.3 per cent. of the total.
Trading Funds
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Shareholder Executive’s assessment of trading funds will be published; and if he will make a statement. [236338]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 17 November 2008]: The ministerial policy decision on the first phase of the Trading Funds Assessment—together with the basis for that decision—will be communicated by the end of the year.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had with the Shareholder Executive on their assessment of trading funds. [236339]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 17 November 2008]: Officials from different parts of BERR are working closely with the Shareholder Executive on the Trading Funds Assessment and are represented on the Trading Funds Assessment Steering Group. There have been regular discussions on the Assessment between officials and BERR and other Ministers.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Shareholder Executive’s assessment of trading funds is intended to provide a clear definition of the public task of trading funds. [236340]
Ian Pearson
[holding answer 17 November 2008]: The Trading Funds Assessment is intended to clarify government policy on re-use of information produced by the Trading Funds under consideration—both within and outside their public task—taking into account any impact on
the business model of the organisations concerned. In some cases, the assessment may recommend change to the public task of the organisation or change to the governance mechanism by which it is defined.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Shareholder Executive team carrying out the assessment of trading funds has discussed that assessment with the Office of Fair Trading. [236341]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 17 November 2008]: The Office of Fair Trading is represented on the Trading Funds Assessment Steering Group and the Shareholder Executive team is working closely with the OFT throughout the Assessment.
VAT: Vale of Clwyd
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many businesses based in Vale of Clwyd constituency were registered for VAT in (a) 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [235558]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 12 November 2008]: The number of businesses registered for VAT in Vale of Clwyd at the start of 1997 and at the start of 2007 is shown in the following table. Data for the number of VAT-registered businesses at the start of 2008 will be available 28 November 2008.
| Number of VAT-registered businesses | ||
| 1997 | 2007 | |
| Source: BERR National Statistics publication ‘Business start-ups and closures: VAT registrations and de-registrations 2006’ available at: http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/vat/index.htm. | ||
The number of VAT-registered businesses in Vale of Clwyd rose from 1,650 at the start of 1997 to 1,735 at the start of 2007—a rise of 5 per cent. compared with an average rise of nearly 10 per cent across UK.
VAT registrations do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which was £61,000 at the start of 2007. Only 1.96 million out of 4.7 million UK enterprises (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2007.
VAT: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many VAT (a) registrations and (b) de- registrations there were in the City of York (i) constituency and (ii) local authority area in each year since 1994. [237056]
Ian Pearson: VAT registration data provide the only accurate indicator of the number of VAT-registered business at the start of each calendar year.
The number of businesses registering for VAT and the number of businesses de-registering in City of York constituency and in York Unitary Authority are shown in the following tables. Data for the number of VAT registrations and VAT de-registrations during 2007 will be available on 28 November 2008.
| City of York constituency: VAT registrations and de-registrations | ||
| Registrations | De-registrations | |
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