The awards are being judged by an expert panel of leading figures from industry and business, including, for this category, Mei Shui, head of business programme, The Princess Trust, and Ken Pascoe, national director, The Learning & Skills Council.

The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday 2 March 2004 at the Institute of Directors, and two representatives from PCG have been invited to attend.

Richard Robson and his fellow PCG directors were delighted to learn of the news.

PCG WELCOMES ANOTHER EARLY DAY MOTION ON IR591

PCG has welcomed the proposal of another early day motion on IR591 and small businesses, sponsored this time by Brian Cotter MP.

PCG's director of external affairs, Ian Durrant, was supportive of the motion and urged PCG members, freelancers and small business owners to contact their respective Members of Parliament. "Since the publication of the Pre-Budget report, we have been calling for clarity and for consultation about paragraph 5.91, and we have lent our support to a similar early day motion put forward by Mark Prisk MP," he said. "We think that the small business community should be consulted about any proposed measures, as outlined on our dedicated website. There are around 3.8 million small businesses in the UK, generating 52% of the country's total turnover, and employing 12.6 million people. We believe that a large proportion of them could be adversely affected by these proposals."

Further details of the early day motion can be found on PCG's news page.

POLICY TEAM VISITS BRUSSELS

Ian Durrant, PCG's director of external affairs, together with political advisers, David Ramsden and Jo Phillips, visited Brussels this week in a quest to engage in proactive consultation with a range of Commission officials and MEPs from all three major parties.

This visit was facilitated by PCG's new partner in Brussels, "Small Business Europe". The purpose of the visit was to forge new relationships and explore ways in which PCG can both participate in and influence decisions made by the EU which affect the ability of its members to go about their business.

Commenting on the visit, Ian Durrant said "We received an extremely warm and positive reception from all the people we met. EU officials listened to our concerns and understood that the traditional 'bi-partite' dialogue between unions and employers meant that businesses like PCG had no voice in areas that affected them. The four MEPs we met also understood the problem we face and indeed, will raise the subject by way of parliamentary question to the Commission.

"It is important" said Ian, "that we articulate our concerns and lobby at the European level as well as in the UK. Our aim is to gain recognition for the freelance sector and to ensure that it has a voice."

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 30% of the UK's working population are independent freelancers but it is only through organisations such as the PCG that they can lobby on issues that matter to them. PCG has called on the European Commission to establish the true extent of freelancing throughout the European Community.

SMARTER FREELANCING SEMINARS

Are you interested in learning more about marketing yourself, developing your skills, becoming a trusted adviser and better understanding key tax and accountancy issues? Register for one of PCG's "Smarter Freelancing" seminars, being held in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Swindon, Croydon and Southampton, from 24 February 2004.

At a competitive cost of only £40 plus VAT for PCG members, and just £65 plus VAT for non-members, the seminars offer excellent value for money. Non-member delegates who join PCG on the day will receive a £25 refund.

As a bonus, delegates will also receive a copy of PCG'S expert analysis after the Budget in March.

See www.pcg.org.uk/seminars2004 for more details and online booking. Numbers are limited, so please register early as possible.

WANTED: FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANTS

Would anyone interested in participating in a focus group in central London on the current market in the UK, or any part of it, in any of the following disciplines:

• Java
• Project Management
• SAP