Chancellor Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Business John Hutton and Competitiveness Minister Stephen Timms will use information they gather to work on a new framework for entrepreneurship in the UK.

Twenty successful business owners have already been asked to take part, and other entrepreneurs will be asked for their opinions on how the Government can help small firms grow.

Mr Timms said:

"There are more than one million more people working in small and medium sized enterprises than seven years ago so there are signs of growth. The Government now needs to build on this success. We also need to be sure we keep renewing and refreshing our knowledge on what barriers to growth businesses face today."