To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the director-general of the Confederation of British Industry to discuss the development of small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend and I are in regular contact with the CBI to discuss issues affecting small firms and other matters.

As a result of the Government's enlightened policy towards small businesses, through deregulation and assistance, through such measures as the small firms advisory service, enterprise agencies and the enterprise allowance scheme, is it not true that successful small businesses are being created at an unprecedented rate?

Yes, indeed. The latest VAT statistics show that about 1,000 extra firms register for VAT every week.

As small businesses have a substantial contribution to make to the reduction of unemployment in rural areas, may I ask what new initiatives are being considered by the Minister's Department, in consultation with the Secretary of State for Education, to make young people more aware of the benefits of setting up in business in those areas?

They are not specific to rural areas, but the technical vocational and educational initiative does exactly that job all over the country. Obviously, the Rural Development Commission has a particular responsibility for rural areas. Because of the importance of job creation in small firms, to which the hon. Gentleman correctly drew our attention, there are a number of enterprise training courses for young people, as well as for adults, to encourage them and to assist them in setting up small businesses.