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16 Mar 2010 : Column 836W—continued
Business, Innovation and Skills
Business: Credit
Mr. Syms: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely (a) price and (b) availability of credit to small businesses in the second quarter of 2010. [320389]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The overall cost of finance for business is ultimately determined by the market, but is made of a number of factors, including the cost of funding for the banks, and the cost of risk and capital. BIS data shows the overall cost for SMEs was stable during the later part of 2009, and in general less than two years ago.
Banks maintain that they have the capacity to meet the demand from viable businesses in the second quarter of 2010 and beyond, and the Government expects them to do so. BIS data show that majority of applications from businesses for financial support continue to be approved.
Business: Government Assistance
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small businesses in each constituency in the East of England have applied for financial assistance under the (a) Enterprise Finance Guarantee and (b) Capital Enterprise scheme since inception; and how many such applications were granted. [317528]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, as of 10 February, 742 businesses in the East of England region have drawn down loans totalling £66.82 million. The figures for each individual constituency in the East of England region will be deposited in the Library of the House. Businesses may apply for a loan from any one of the participating lenders who will assess which form of lending, including the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, is most appropriate. We do not hold figures for those businesses which are instead offered a normal commercial loan, or are rejected for failing to meet the lender's commercial criteria.
With respect to the Capital for Enterprise Fund equity scheme, CfEF received 57 inquiries from businesses in the East of England seeking investment to the value of £55.9 million. Thus far, although no businesses have received investment, two businesses have been offered investment totalling £3.3 million. Inquiries from eight businesses are being considered subject to further information to be supplied by the applicant. The remaining 47 inquiries have been rejected or withdrawn. I am not providing a breakdown by parliamentary constituency or local authority as this could make it possible to identify the individual companies that have received support.
Mr. Bain: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Glasgow North East constituency have received support from the Government since 2008. [319973]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Business support is devolved to the Scottish Executive. I suggest my hon. Friend writes to the Executive.
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) the North West, (b) the City of Manchester and (c) Manchester Central constituency have received financial assistance from his Department and its predecessor since December 2007. [321038]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Since December 2007, a total of 293 businesses in the north-west have been awarded assistance from the Grant for Business Investment (GBI) and Grant for Research & Development (Grant for R&D) schemes. Of this total, 23 businesses have been in the city of Manchester and 18 in the Manchester, Central constituency.
Business: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses there were in City of York (a) unitary local authority area and (b) constituency in each year since 1997. [321727]
Angela E. Smith: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many businesses there were in the City of York (a) unitary local authority and (b) constituency in each year since 1997. (321727)
Annual statistics on business counts are available for 2000 onwards from the ONS release UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at
The table below contains the latest statistics available for business counts for York UA and City of York constituency.
| Enterprise counts for York UA and the City of York Constituency | ||
| Year | York UA | City of York |
Departmental Consultants
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) each other body sponsored by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005. [319150]
Mr. McFadden: Central records indicate that the Department and its predecessors have spent the following on consultancy fees in the last five financial years:
| £ | |
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
Further details, including provision of non-departmental public bodies and other bodies sponsored by the Department, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 16 March 2010:
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has asked me to reply to your question on how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii)
executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) each other body sponsored by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005.
The Insolvency Service an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has spent the following amounts on external consultants and advisers since 2005:
| Amount (£000) | |
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 10 March 2010:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 23 February 2010, UIN 319150 to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Companies House spent the following amounts on external consultants and advisers in each since 2005:
| £ | |
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 26 February 2010:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much was spent on external consultants and advisers in each year since 2005.
Since April 2009, we have adopted the OGC definition of consultancy, namely "advice related to strategy, structure, management or operations of an organisation in pursuit of its objectives". Prior to that date, our records do not distinguish between the various forms of consultants and contractors, for instance those carrying out research projects.
We have spent £77,071.70 between April 2009 and December 2009 on external consultants and advisers as defined by OGC. Expenditure in previous years on "consultancy" using the wider definition that I have mentioned was:
| Financial year | £ |
Letter from John Alty, dated 25 February 2010:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 23 February 2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The amount spent on external consultants and advisors in each calendar year since 2005 is:
| £000 | |
Departmental Official Hospitality
Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish a detailed breakdown of his Department's expenditure on entertainment in each of the last 12 months. [321398]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 9 March 2010]: This Department spent the following amounts on entertainment from June 2009, when the Department was created:
| £ | |
A further breakdown could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Exports: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies in Milton Keynes exported goods or services to (a) other EU countries and (b) non-EU countries in the last 12 months. [321876]
Ian Lucas: HM Revenue and Customs publishes a regional breakdown for trade in goods. The UK Trade Statistics for calendar year 2009 were published on 11 March 2010. The numbers of unique exporters for 2009, in the south-east, for EU and non-EU countries were 3,215 and 12,761 respectively.
The UK Trade Statistics are provided at regional level so we are unable to confirm the numbers of companies for Milton Keynes.
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