Written question asked by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 November 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 22 November 2011. It was answered by Mark Prisk (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 November 2011 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Business: Northern Ireland

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Northern Ireland are classified as (a) large, (b) medium-sized and (c) small.

Answer

Estimates of the number of large, medium and small-sized businesses in Northern Ireland at the start of 2011 are shown in the following table:

	Business size band
	Number of small businesses (0 to 49 employees)	Number of medium-sized businesses (50 to 249 employees)	Number of large businesses (250 or more employees)	All private sector businesses
Number of private sector businesses in Northern Ireland	121,075	855	135	122,065
Source:
Business Population Estimates for the UK and Regions (2011 Edition), Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Secondary information