Holding(s) in Company

Merrill Lynch Br. SmallerCo Tst PLC
23 November 2006

                                  SCHEDULE 10

                   NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

1) Name of company:

Merrill Lynch British Smaller Companies Trust plc

2) Name of shareholder having a major interest:

BlackRock Group

3) Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of
holding of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a
non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a
holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18:

Non-Beneficial

4) Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the
number of shares held by each of them:

Nutraco Nominees Limited (designated & undesignated) - 3,853,416
Treasury of the Government of the Isle of Man a/c 10 - 500,000
Other name(s) - 1,711,725


5) Number of shares/amount of stock acquired:

250,000

6) Percentage of issued class:

0.50%

7) Number of shares/amount of stock disposed since last notification:

N/A

8) Percentage of issued class:

N/A

9) Class of security:

Ordinary shares of 25p each

10) Date of transaction:

22 November 2006

11) Date company informed:

23 November 2006

12) Total holding following this notification:

6,065,141

13) Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification:

12.11%

14) Any additional information:

N/A

15) Name of contact and telephone number for queries:

Ms C Driscoll- 020 7743 2427

16) Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for
making this notification:

Ms C Driscoll
For BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited
Secretary

17) Date of notification:

23 November 2006


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