2 Government Strategy
12. Trade and investment strategy has to be diffused
through so many areas of government that establishing a clear
strategy, and having mechanisms through which that strategy is
implemented across the different arms of government, is essential.
One of the key aspects of this inquiry was therefore establishing
how the Government had performed in this area.
UKTI strategy
13. In July 2010, the Department published its
Draft Structural Reform Plan which stated various targets
for the new Government including (concerning trade):
- Developing a Trade White Paper
setting out the Government's strategy for growth through free,
fair and open markets, including trade agreements, promoting trade
facilitation, and cutting global red tape by December 2010; and
- Publishing a UKTI strategy including measures
to simplify regional activities by January 2011 (the previous
UKTI five year strategy, Prosperity in a Changing World was published
in 2006).[10]
14. The future and role of UKTI have been mentioned
in numerous Coalition Government announcements and documents.
In its Business Plan, published on 8 November 2010, the Department
gave more detail on how the new UKTI strategy would be shaped,
with emphasis placed on the need to:
- Build stronger connections
between UKTI and UK businesses; and
- Improve the effectiveness of UKTI's overseas
network in identifying export and inward investment opportunities.[11]
15. The Government failed to meet its own January
2011 target for publication, but in February 2011 the Department
gave a further insight into its thinking with the publication
of its Trade and Investment White Paper. This set the following
aims relevant to UKTI:
Increase UK Trade and Investment's focus on emerging
markets and launch: a new online service offering access to sales
leads around the world; a new online peer-to-peer exchange to
enable companies to help themselves and help each other; and a
new high profile award for companies which are ready to export,
but need encouragement to take the next step.[12]
16. These aims were further refined in the Department's
Plan for Growth which was published alongside the Budget
on 23 March 2011. This announced a number of new schemes which
would be run by UKTI:
- mentoring by senior business
specialists for companies taking their first steps into new markets;
- an online peer-to-peer self help community network;
- new business service for SMEs in the defence
and security sector. This will include specialist tailored advice
on selling to foreign governments;
- UKTI will be used to provide UK businesses with
local intelligence on high value projects overseas and intensive
support to win these deals.
- Making better use of private sector expertise,
with a clear focus on winning business for the UK
- a bespoke service to key inward investors, giving
them direct access to UK ministers and speedy resolution of bureaucratic
obstacles to investment.
17. When he came before us on 27 April 2011 (three
months after the original deadline for publication of the strategy),
we questioned the Secretary of State on the reasons behind the
significant delay in publication of such an important piece of
the Government's strategy for growth, particularly given that
so much of it had been trailed in other BIS publications:
Q9 Chair: Is it not odd that something so central
to all the plans for growth that underpin the Government's economic
strategy has not had its own strategy published and outlined?
[...] Why has UKTI been so delayed when it is central to everything
else the Government wants to achieve?
Vince Cable: I think you may be over-dramatising
this. As I have said, there is a very clear strategy and we have
described it. I do not think that the publication date of a particular
document should be regarded as utterly crucial.
Q10 Chair: With respect, a clear strategy comes
with publication and it has not been published yet.
Vince Cable: The trade White Paper was a Government
publication that I introduced to the Commons, and it described
what we were trying to achieve in terms of trade and was strategic
in its approach.
Vince Cable: I accept that clearly there will
be more clarity and opportunity for you to hold us to account
once that document is apparent, but it is not the only factor.
As you know, the chief executive has not yet been appointed, and
that is equally critical to giving a sense of strategic direction.[13]
18. The importance of having a Government trade strategy
was highlighted to us by Phil Orford of the Forum of Private
Business:
If you look at all the businesses out there exporting
as sales managers, plying their trade internationally, what we
need is a sales director, someone who defines strategy, someone
who's going to lead from the front, and I think that's where the
Government's role should be. There absolutely needs to be a national
strategy for international trade.[14]
19. On 11 May 2011, the Department finally published
the UKTI strategy, missing its own target by four months.[15]
20. UKTI is a key delivery body in the Government
plans for economic growth. The fact that it took a year to publish
its strategy—and that publication was delayed by five months—does
not reflect well on the Department. The Secretary of State told
us that the strategy was outlined in the Trade White Paper and
the Government's Plan for Growth. We therefore see no reason why
the Government did not publish the UKTI strategy alongside either
one of those documents.
21. While we welcome the Government's commitment
to rebalancing the economy through an increase focus on trade
and investment, its message and the perceived importance of this
policy has been weakened by the late publication of the key strategy
to deliver on this. We are concerned that this delay created uncertainty
within UKTI at a critical time in the economic recovery and could
have undermined its effective support for business.
Ministerial responsibility
22. Of further concern to us was a similar delay
in the Government appointing a Trade Minister. Until the appointment
of Lord Green in January 2011, the trade portfolio was covered
by Ed Davey MP, Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and
Postal Affairs. The trade portfolio therefore had to compete with
Mr Davey's other responsibilities which included postal affairs
(Royal Mail and Post Office Limited), employment relations (including
ACAS), consumer policy and consumer affairs, competition policy,
corporate governance, company law (including Companies House),
social enterprise, Insolvency Service (including company investigations),
general oversight of Shareholder Executive and its portfolios,
coordination of European business.[16]
It is a concern that for such a priority area there was not a
dedicated Trade Minister in place much earlier on in this Parliament.
For a Government to place such emphasis on trade policy without
providing either a clear strategy or a Minister with responsibility
for its delivery for so long was not a shining example of clear
and decisive policy-making. Furthermore, it did not send out the
right message to the business community. Given that the Department
for Business, Innovation and Skills is a key Department tasked
with rebalancing the economy, we would have expected it to do
better.
23. Although the position was late in being filled,
we welcome the appointment of a Minister with the sole portfolio
of trade and investment. Having started late, the Minister has
certainly hit the ground running. We were impressed by the number
of visits undertaken by Lord Green both in the UK and overseas
and his work to promote not only the UK as a country to do business
with, but also to encourage UK businesses to export. We heard
from UK businesses and their representative organisations the
importance of ministerial visits overseas to give the impression
that UK businesses have the support of the UK Government. The
CBI said:
The involvement of key ministers in supporting
UK business in overseas markets —e.g. by leading delegations
on foreign trips, attending JETCOs[17],
welcoming incoming delegations—is very helpful.[18]
Aerospace Defence Security (A|D|S) also welcomed
the attention given to trade by Ministers:
The support for exports that has been shown in
recent months by the BIS Ministerial team on overseas trips to
China and India for example is to be warmly welcomed.[19]
24. We recognise the importance of the ministerial
visits overseas and the impact that they have on the world image
of "Britain is open for Business". We welcome the appointment
of Lord Green as Minister for Trade and the start he has made
in this very important post.
Cross Government Working
25. Sir Andrew Cahn, the previous Chief Executive
of UKTI, expressed concern (in an interview with the Independent
newspaper on 8 March) that, outside the Foreign Office, few government
Departments understood the importance of promoting Britain as
a place to do business. He argued that the Civil Service had to
take a more entrepreneurial approach toward decision-making and
growing the economy:
We need the whole of Whitehall to push in the
same direction, and at the moment I don't think they do. [...]
The Foreign Office really has changed and is focused and rather
effective on promoting inward investment. But in all sorts of
other departments it has no sort of priority at all.[20]
In the same interview he gave the following examples
of how Whitehall culture should change:
If you talk to the Department of Health they
are simply not interested in pharmaceutical exports as an issue.
You might say of course it's not high up their radar screen. But
the fact is if you want to make sure that the big pharmaceutical
companies are in this country, you need the Department of Health
to play a role.
You need Defra to be focused on food companies.
You need the Department of Transport to be focused on transport
companies. You need the DECC[21]
to be focused on energy companies. There is real scope for the
whole of Whitehall to be focused on export promotion in a way
that they certainly haven't done in the last five years.[22]
26. The Government appears to be alive to Mr Cahn's
concerns. In its Trade White Paper all Departments have been asked
to:
Examine how they can support trade and investment,
as part of the Government's growth and prosperity agenda.[23]
27. This policy was expanded on in the UKTI strategy,
which announced the creation of a new cross-government Strategic
Relations Unit to be based within the UKTI. The Strategy states
that the Unit will:
Enable the whole of Government to be harnessed
for the drive to win large scale inward investment and high value
business overseas for our exporters.[24]
28. The cross-Departmental approach to trade and
investment has also been addressed at Ministerial level with the
establishment of a new Cabinet sub-Committee with responsibility
for trade and investment. Announcing the sub-Committee, the Trade
White Paper said that the main functions of the sub-Committee
would be to :
Provide[s] leadership in ensuring the whole of
Government works toward supporting trade and investment and in
challenging policies that risk or undermine this goal.[25]
It continued that the sub-Committee would:
Ensure coordinated action to implement the policies
set out in this White Paper and continuous follow-through. The
work of this committee will be prepared at official level by the
most senior trade officials across Government, to enable the network
of those with an interest to be fully plugged in and to ensure
its decisions can be fully and expeditiously implemented.[26]
29. When he came before us, Lord Green said that
the sub-Committee was to meet monthly and would have three standing
items on its agenda. The first was the action plan with action
steps, assigned responsibilities and timelines. The other two
standing items had not yet been put in place but the Minister
told us that one would be a grid of ministerial overseas visits
(intended to introduce an element of co-ordination) and the other
would be a monthly report on the most recent trade statistics.[27]
30. At the time of his evidence the sub-Committee
had met twice and the Minister gave us the following assessment
of its initial work:
I have to report that the atmosphere on them
is very good. You might say that this is still a honeymoon period
as far as I am concerned, and of course that is true. Nevertheless,
I start with a very strong sense that everybody wants to work
together to get this right, and I hope and believe it will continue
that way.[28]
31. We welcome the establishment of the new cross-government
Strategic Relations Unit within the UKTI and a Cabinet sub-Committee
with responsibility for trade and investment. We trust that these
two new initiatives will link together to get the message across
Whitehall that all Departments, and all Ministers, should be thinking
about the role of trade and investment.
UKTI-FCO COMMERCIAL TASK FORCE
32. The role of the FCO in this work is clearly crucial.
The Government has formed a new UKTI-FCO Commercial Task Force
with the aim of driving a central commercial imperative into all
aspects of FCO activity to support the whole of government delivering
for UK business. The Trade White Paper said that:
The FCO's Commercial Diplomacy initiative will
harness more resource in FCO's overseas network to pursue our
trade and investment goals, working closely with and complementing
the work of UKTI's overseas trade teams.[29]
33. The FCO, at the time of the launch of the UKTI
strategy, published "A Charter for Business" which contained
seven points to inject commercialism into the Foreign Office.
In this were announcements that included the creation a of a new
Commercial and Economic Diplomacy Department; a new Economics
Unit; an increase of resources dedicated to the prosperity agenda;
new commercial diplomacy training for staff; and a new emphasis
on secondments and short attachments to business for British Ambassadors
and High Commissioners.[30]
34. We welcome the publication of the FCO's Charter
for Business and will monitor its implementation. We will expect
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to ensure that
progress towards implementation of the Charter complements its
own work on trade and exports. We recommend that in its response
to our Report the Department's sets out the Government's progress
in this regard.
British Business Ambassadors
35. The British Business Ambassador scheme was set
up under the previous Government in October 2008. On 9 November
2010, the Prime Minister announced a re-launch of the network
with an expanded membership including, among others, Tamara Mellon,
co-founder of Jimmy Choo, and former CBI Director General Lord
Digby Jones. There are now 32 Ambassadors and a list of them is
annexed to the back of this report.
36. The Prime Minister, announcing the re-launch,
gave a flavour of how the Business Ambassadors would help promote
UK businesses and UK Trade:
The appointees, who together have a wealth of
business experience and knowledge gained from a series of sectors
and geographical markets, will join the Prime Minister and the
Coalition Government in promoting the UK's excellence in overseas
markets. They will also assist UK businesses to recognise and
exploit business opportunities.[31]
THE ROLE OF BUSINESS AMBASSADORS
37. The Business Ambassadors volunteer their time
and do not have any formal role in Government. The Department
stated that their role is:
- When travelling on business,
carry out priority meetings at the request of UK Trade & Investment
(UKTI), for example lobbying to remove barriers to market access
or leading events for SMEs;
- Undertake dedicated overseas visits or lead missions
in agreement with UKTI;
- Advise UK Ministers and Ambassadors on key business
priorities and interests as they might arise;
- Meet overseas Ministers and inward missions;
- Provide insights into how UK Trade & Investment
(UKTI) can best deliver for business; and
- Contribute to Government-to-Government dialogues
with China, India, Brazil, Russia, Vietnam, Eastern Europe and
other key markets.[32]
38. UKTI stated that the key objectives for the network
were to use each Business Ambassador's individual experience of
doing business internationally, and their unique market and sector
knowledge, to:
- Promote the UK's excellence
and the UK's favourable business environment;
- Help UK businesses recognise and exploit overseas
opportunities; and
- Support UK businesses, Heads of Mission (HM Ambassadors
and High Commissioners) and UKTI trade teams overseas.[33]
39. While business organisations generally supported
the British Business Ambassadors scheme, and welcomed its re-launch,
a number of concerns were raised by our witnesses. The CBI was
unclear about the ability to identify the impact of the scheme,[34]
and A|D|S commented that there was a need for:
Greater clarity and guidance from Government
as to the remit of each Ambassador and the process by which trade
associations can represent their members, particularly SMEs.[35]
40. Particular concerns were raised with us about
the range of sectors represented by the Business Ambassadors.
The British Chambers of Commerce argued that the Network's membership
was almost exclusively drawn from very large companies which was
not necessarily helpful to SMEs:
A lot of SMEs with which I come into contact
from my membership or even just from the wider SME community would
say to me, "I don't see how this person can help me represent
my interests overseas".[36]
41. In a similar vein, the food and drinks industry
and the creative industries were both concerned that their sectors
lacked a representative on the Business Ambassadors Network.[37]
42. We recognise the concerns of SMEs, the creative
industries and the food and drink industry that they are not fully
represented on the Ambassador's Network. We recommend that the
Government ensure that all sectors of the UK economy have a representative
on the Network who can speak for their interests and that this
should not be limited to individuals from big business.
43. When we questioned several of the new Ambassadors
about their role and effectiveness, Nick Fry, believed that they
should be judged on results:
I think we do need very specific targets; I think
the business ambassadors need a clear mandate, and to be given
objectives. The way we run our business is with an almost laser
like focus on achieving results, and if this initiative is to
be a success we do need to follow through from general advertising
about how good we are, to setting out the things we hope to achieve
with very clear targets. Then we can get back to measuring whether
we achieved these and if not, why not.[38]
Sir Roger Bone explained how he saw his role:
It is a mixture of advocacy, of targeting potential
inward investors, as well as helping, in a hands on way, potential
exporters overseas. In my own case, as an ambassador for British
business, I have both interacted with business men on the west
coast of the United States, potential investors here, and spoken
at a forum of SMEs at Loughborough University in the West Midlands,
preparing to invest overseas in emerging markets for the first
time.[39]
Lord Powell thought it was in fact very hard to measure
the impact of the work of Business Ambassadors in precise terms
because:
At the end of the day, we don't do the business.
It is the companies that do the business and that is where the
impact is felt. I would say that yes, I think I have contributed
to raising awareness of Asian opportunities across the UK, particularly
amongst SMEs. That is quite specific but you cannot measure it
in pounds gained in export orders. You can see export figures
for Britain go up, and you can think "Maybe I helped with
that", but you cannot give anyone credit for that, other
than the companies that actually make the sales.[40]
Sir Roger Bone suggested:
We dip in and out of the process. We give of
our time as and when we are somewhere, and when we can add value
to an ongoing process. Looking back on it, I sometimes feel that
it is difficult for us to get a feel as to how much our personal
contribution has been to the process or target. So, more feedback
from UKTI on how we have done would certainly be welcome.[41]
44. The British Business Ambassadors Network is
a useful tool at the Department's disposal. While we appreciate
that the Ambassadors give their time for free, we agree with Nick
Fry (a member of the Network) that they should have both a clear
remit and measureable targets. We do not necessarily recommend
individual assessment but we believe that the effectiveness of
the Network would benefit from review. It may be that the Ambassadors
themselves would be best placed to judge their effectiveness against
the criteria set out by the Department. We recommend that the
Department publishes these assessments—in terms of activities
and outcomes— at regular intervals.
CATALYST UK
45. The British Business Ambassadors have been tasked
with promoting the UK on a senior global level. The UKTI is also
looking at a similar scheme on a more populous level. Lord Green
said:
A further opportunity yet to be developed—an
idea that came from Ed [Ed Davey, Minister for Employment Relations,
Consumer and Postal Affairs], in fact—is the notion of using
the diaspora in this country of people with connections. South
Asia is an obvious part of the world but not the only one. Making
use of their connections with and enthusiasm for being in this
country as part of support for exports into their countries of
origin is something we have not tapped and we should look at.[42]
46. In evidence, UKTI told us that it was establishing
Catalyst UK, a global network of 100 "advocates for Britain"
from the business and academic communities to deliver this aim.
Catalyst UK is described by the Government as a network:
Made up of people who are trusted in their fields
and can make a case for investing in the UK and doing business
with UK companies and includes business people and academics with
a strong affinity for Britain, including generations of Britons
who have moved to other countries and many thousands of business
people from overseas who have studied here, traded with British
companies, or invested in Britain.[43]
The intention is that these advocates would share
their experience and insights with less experienced exporters
and therefore mentor companies, especially SMEs, taking their
first steps into new markets.[44]
The UKTI strategy announced that the 100 advocates already on
board included CEOs of FTSE 100 companies and established entrepreneurs.[45]
47. This is a welcome initiative but one which is
not new. In January 2010, our predecessor Committee was told of
the establishment of 'UK Global Connections'—funded by the
Strategic Investment Fund—which would be:
A new global network of people who have real
influence and are willing to work with us in promoting the benefits
of the UK as a great place to do business. […] The network
will make it easier for UKTI people to spot and deploy capable
partners, from the network, willing to work with us as speakers
at our events, mentors to new exporters or inward investors, people
who can enable business opportunities or influencers who can make
the things we want to see happen.[46]
48. We welcome the creation of 'Catalyst' as a
useful lever to attract inward investment. However, given the
fact that this was an existing activity in UKTI we see little
merit in a rebranding exercise which diverts valuable resources
from delivering meaningful services to business. If it is a different
programme then the Department should set out in detail how it
has changed and how it will utilise the diaspora in this country
and alumni of UK universities living abroad.
The UK exporting culture
49. Outside and above the structures put in place
by Government to promote overseas trade and investment, at the
end of the day success comes down to decisions by individual companies
and entrepreneurs. Lord Powell, one of the Business Ambassadors,
told us that the UK's 'mercantile' spirit needed to be 'liberated':
I think it has become rather submerged by regulation
and tax, and reforms in the economy are strongly needed to set
it free again.[47]
There have been a number of business surveys carried
out recently looking into whether UK companies are exporting and
if not what is preventing them.
50. The FSB in its report Made in the UK: Small
businesses and an export led recovery based on a survey of
its members found that under a quarter (23%) of its members exported.
67% of UK companies that were not exporting felt their business
only satisfied local need and 73% of respondees said they lacked
a suitable product or service to export. Of the countries which
FSB members exported to 87% exported only within the EEA and 45%
exported to USA. Its members suggested better promotion of support
available, tax breaks and tailor made information for small firms
recommended to encourage exporting among small businesses.[48]
51. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) survey
in 2009 Exporting Britain had similar results. Of the businesses
that did export, 58% did so because they had been approached by
a customer. A further survey carried out by the BCC into manufacturing
found that of the businesses that responded 32.7% felt that better
export support from the Government would be one of their top three
policy changes to get manufacturers exporting.[49]
The BCC also claimed that incentives that had encouraged both
first time and existing exporters to enter new markets have been
gradually removed over the past 20 years. It gave the example
of taxation allowances which it believed had had a role in encouraging
exports. Of particular note to the BCC was that prior to the early
1990s, companies were able to offset entertainment of foreign
clients at home and abroad against Corporation Tax. It believed
that exporters could be spurred into exploring new markets if
companies were able to offset the costs of exploring new markets
against Corporation Tax in the same way as capital investments.
It also noted that previously export salesmen were able to claim
income tax rebates if they had spent over thirty days in a row
outside the UK. The BCC highlighted that this acted both as an
incentive for British firms to send their employees out into the
world, and as a recruiting tool for a role that involves spending
long amounts of time away from their home and families.[50]
52. The Forum of Private Business (FPB) research
Exporting and Foreign Exchange found that lack of information
was the most frequently cited reason as a barrier for developing
business either into exporting or into expanding exports. They
too found that a large amount—67% of businesses who were
not exporting—felt that their business was not conducive
to exporting or that their business only satisfied a local need.
Phil Orford of the FPB believed it was a mindset issue which was
also:
Clearly both an educational issue, but also,
at the risk of overdoing the word, a mentoring issue. These businesses
owners do need to see practical examples of what's going on on
the ground, and the development of that sort of network would
be very helpful.[51]
The FPB also recommended that greater support and
training was needed from Government if it was determined to encourage
businesses to internationalise.[52]
53. The Secretary of State recognised that getting
SMEs to export was a challenge:
I think that a third of British SMEs get involved
in international trade; in Germany it is much, much higher. If
we are to turn the country round in terms of trade performance,
those are the people we have to engage. That is why a special
effort has to be made.[53]
54. In response to these concerns and the need for
support, and possibly, the need to raise awareness of potential
export opportunities, the UKTI strategy has set the target of
'reaching out' to 25,000 UK companies a year up from an average
of 20,000 over the last three years.[54]
It should be noted that according to the Department there are
nearly five million SMEs in the UK.[55]
We discuss in Chapter 5 the tools the Government has at its disposal
to achieve this aim.
55. We take the view that the mercantile spirit
in the UK is alive and well, but we also recognise that in difficult
economic times, hard-pressed small businessmen and women may be
so busy concentrating on domestic business that they do not have
the time or resources to consider the international market. In
this context additional support from UKTI is vital and we look
forward to hearing whether UKTI can deliver on its outreach target.
The Government should also consider what incentives could be put
in place or reintroduced to encourage companies to explore moving
into international markets.
56. The fact that survey data suggest that few
businesses are pro-actively pursuing export opportunities demonstrates
the importance of an aggressive marketing strategy, run by UKTI,
to highlight to SMES the benefits of exporting. In that respect,
the outreach target of UKTI developing contacts with 25,000 UK
companies represents a modest figure considering the fact that
there are just under five million SMEs in the UK.
10 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,
Draft Structural Reform Plan, July 2010 Back
11
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Business Plan,
November 2010 Back
12
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Trade and Investment
for Growth, Cm 8015, February 2011 Back
13
Oral Evidence taken before the Business, Innovation and Skills
Committee, The Government's Strategy for Growth, HC 945-i,
Qq 9-11 Back
14
Q 96 Back
15
UK Trade & Investment, Britain open for business, May
2011 Back
16
www.bis.gov.uk/ministers Back
17
Joint Economic and Trade Committees Back
18
Ev 165 Back
19
Ev 149 Back
20
"Whitehall must do more to promote UK, says Cahn", The
Independent, 8 March 2011 Back
21
Department for Energy and Climate Change Back
22
"Whitehall must do more to promote UK, says Cahn", The
Independent, 8 March 2011 Back
23
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Trade and Investment
for Growth, Cm 8015, February 2011, para 3.13 Back
24
UK Trade & Investment, Britain open for business, May
2011, p 29 Back
25
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Trade and Investment
for Growth, Cm 8015, February 2011, para 3.14 Back
26
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Trade and Investment
for Growth, Cm 8015, February 2011, para 3.14 Back
27
Q 478 Back
28
Q 478 Back
29
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Trade and Investment
for Growth, Cm 8015, February 2011, para 3.13 Back
30
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, A Charter for Business,
May 2011 Back
31
"PM announces new Business Ambassadors", Number
10 press release, 9 November 2010 Back
32
Ev 144 Back
33
Ev 131 Back
34
Ev 169 Back
35
Ev 152 Back
36
Q 9 Back
37
Q 234 & Q 67 Back
38
Q 144 Back
39
Q 142 Back
40
Q 143 Back
41
Q 145 Back
42
Q 535 Back
43
UK Trade & Investment, Britain open for business, May
2011 Back
44
UK Trade & Investment, Britain open for business, May
2011 Back
45
UK Trade & Investment, Britain open for business, May
2011 Back
46
Business Innovation and Skills Committee, Third Report of Session
2009-10, Exporting out of Recession, HC 266, para 112 Back
47
Q 136 Back
48
Ev 179 Back
49
Ev 160 Back
50
Ev 159 para 2.2-2.3 Back
51
Q 110 Back
52
Ev 184 Back
53
Oral Evidence taken before the Business, Innovation and Skills
Committee, HC 945-i (2010-12),Q 23 Back
54
UK Trade & Investment, Britain open for business, May
2011, p 13 Back
55
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Economics and
Statistics, Enterprise Directorate: Small and Medium Enterprise
Statistics for the UK and Regions Back
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