To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many unemployed people have qualified for assistance on the business start-up scheme since its incorporation into the single regeneration budget in each region and for England as a whole; what was the annual expenditure; and which training and enterprise councils have taken part in each year. [12171]

Information in the form requested is not available.The single regeneration budget provides support to local partnerships for schemes which promote the wider regeneration of their chosen area. Under the first two rounds of the challenge fund, 238 schemes have included plans to assist business start ups. Over their lifetime of up to seven years, and subject to satisfactory progress on delivery plans, these schemes stand to receive some £1.7 billion in challenge fund support towards a wide range of economic, environmental and social measures including an estimated 80,000 new business start ups. Training and enterprise councils are involved with the vast majority of the 238 schemes. Further support for new business start ups will also be provided under rounds 3 and 4 of the challenge fund.Information on the number of new business start ups supported under the challenge fund in 1995–96 and 1996–97 for each of the 10 Government offices for the regions and for England is as follows: