Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Anne Snelgrove (Labour). It was answered by Lord Knight of Weymouth (Labour) on Thursday, 3 September 2009 on behalf of the South West Regional Grand Committee.

Small Businesses

Question: What discussions he has had with small businesses in the south-west on levels of Government assistance made available to them during the recession.

Answer: There is a strong small business representation on the regional economic task group that I chair. Thanks to that representation and to visits to various parts of the region—not just to the town that my hon. Friend represents—I am fully aware of the importance to small businesses of access to information, advice and Government assistance to help them to meet the challenge of the recession. A number of regional initiatives from the regional development agency, Business Link, the Learning and Skills Council and Jobcentre Plus have been put in place, and last week I met with a group of employers in Taunton to promote those initiatives.

Secondary information