Business: Bexley
Business, Innovation and Skills
David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises have received assistance from Government schemes in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley in the last 18 months.
Mark Prisk (Minister of State (Business and Enterprise), Business, Innovation and Skills; Hertford and Stortford, Conservative)
The total number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have received assistance from Government schemes is not available. However, information that is held at a constituency level on the number of SMEs supported under the Government's Solutions for Business portfolio, is set out in the following table:
| Product | Bexleyheath and Crayford | Borough of Bexley | Comment |
| Manufacturing Advisory Service | 2 | 5 | Figures are April 2010 to 30 September 2011). No MAS offering in this area between April to December 2011 inclusive |
| Access to finance | 6 | 14 | These figures are for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme only |
| Collaborative Research and Development product | 1 | 1 | Refers to new grants awarded to SMEs, not total number of SMEs assisted and so numbers are underestimated |
For other schemes under the Solutions for Business portfolio, such as Rural Development Programme for England, Helping your Business Grow Internationally and Work Place Training (including apprenticeships), Knowledge Transfer Networks, information is available only at a national level.
In addition, Government have funded the provision of a range of online information and assistance to SMEs through Business Link, including a regional advisory service, which was supported by England's regional development agencies but closed on
London: 54,804.