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

Small Businesses

Question: I thank my right hon. Friend for that comprehensive list of help available. He will be aware that businesses employing fewer than 10 people rarely have the time to seek help until it is too late. What advice is available to south-west micro-businesses about the resources available? In particular, how can they benefit from the £1,000 employer subsidy?

Answer: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the issue. In the year for which I have the most up-to-date statistics—2007—95.7 per cent. of all enterprises in our region had 10 or fewer employees, and more than 41 per cent. of all people employed in our region worked in the micro-businesses that she is championing. The £1,000 employer subsidy to take on people who have been unemployed for six months or more is of course available to those businesses and is of significant help to them in recruiting. If the businesses join local employer partnerships, which are run by Jobcentre Plus, they have the opportunity alongside that to take on people for work trials, to assess whether they might be suitable or whether the employer is suitable for the individual. Businesses can access the £1,000 employer subsidy, and those smaller, micro-businesses also have the priority for access to Train to Gain if those individuals need further training.

Secondary information