Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many small and medium-sized enterprises have been started in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such businesses are still trading.

There is no single data source that comprehensively measures all business start-ups within the UK. However, as a near proxy BankSearch collates data on the number of new business bank accounts opened in Great Britain. This can be used as an indicative measure of business start-up activity and is the most comprehensive source available to BIS. Data goes as far back as 2008 and does not include information on whether the business is trading or not.