asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many out of the total number of those still trading six months after completing the enterprise allowance scheme had been unemployed for more than a year at the same time of their entry on to the scheme.

A survey of those completing the enterprise allowance scheme in the pilot areas found that 18 per cent. of those still trading six months after leaving the scheme had been unemployed for more than a year prior to joining the scheme. The results of a later survey of people three to five months after completing a year on the national scheme found that 27 per cent. of the respondents who were still trading had been unemployed for more than a year at the time of their entry to the scheme.