New Businesses: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses established in West Lancashire received Government (a) funding and (b) assistance in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge
In 2002-03 one new business received funding through an enterprise grant (these became selective financial investment grants in 2004) funded by the Small Business Service. Since this time, there has been no take-up of available grants by new businesses.

The number of new businesses in West Lancashire receiving assistance through the Business Link service for the years in question is as follows:

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|       |Number|
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|2002-03|70    |
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|2003-04|59    |
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|2004-05|72    |
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|2005-06|36    |
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|2006-07|6     |
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