Harriett Baldwin calls on the Government to ensure that the new enterprise allowance scheme is fully promoted to both men and women to encourage more women to start up new businesses. Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con): What recent assessment she has made of the propensity of (a) men and (b) women to start new businesses. [79666] The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities (Mrs Theresa May): If women in the UK set up businesses at the same rate as men, we would have 150,000 new start-ups each year. If women in the UK showed the same level of entrepreneurship as women in the United States, we would have 600,000 more women-owned businesses in the UK, which would contribute around £42 billion to our economy. It is therefore obvious that we need to make the best use of all the talents available in the economy. Harriett Baldwin: The new enterprise allowance scheme, which is delivered through Jobcentre Plus, is an excellent innovation to help people who want to start their own businesses. Will the Minister ensure that both women and men are told about this excellent scheme? Mrs May: Indeed. The new enterprise allowance scheme is an important scheme that has been introduced to enable people who are unemployed to set up their own businesses, and we will certainly ensure that it is made available to both women and men. I also announced last week that we would be recruiting an additional 5,000 mentors for the women’s enterprise scheme, to encourage and help women in the vital first steps of setting up their own businesses.