Government support for business is attacked as "confusing and inconsistent" by the CBI today.

The organisation said new and growing firms faced a "baffling array" of conflicting quangos, grants and agencies, which spent more than £8 billion of public money every year.

There were at least 2,650 business support schemes in England alone, the CBI complained.

Firms had turned away from publicly-funded schemes because they did not know what help was available, it was claimed.

A CBI study found the Government top agency, Business Link, was used by only one in seven firms.