Written questions by Blundell.

What assessment he has made of Royal Mail's performance in Heywood and Middleton North constituency during the past 12 months.

Royal Mail publishes quality of service reports by postcode area here: www.internationaldistributionservices.com/en/regulation/universal-service-obligation/quality-of-service/ . Ofcom does not mandate data reporting by constituency.Ofcom monitors and assesses Royal Mail’s provision of the universal service. It can take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification.I met Royal Mail’s CEO, Alistair Cochrane, on 3 February to press him on the action Royal Mail is taking to make demonstrable improvements to service levels as a matter of urgency. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if the company’s quality of service does not improve.

Whether he plans to take steps to (a) improve signposting and (b) create a central database for small and medium enterprises on grants for which they are eligible.

SMEs can identify available government grants to check which ones they are eligible to apply for on the Find Government Grants page on www.gov.uk. As part of efforts to better support growth and productivity across the UK’s 5.5 million SMEs, the Department for Business and Trade is in the process of designing and implementing a new Business Growth Service.With improved signposting, joined up across national and local business support services, the Business Growth Service will make it easier and simpler for SMEs to access information related to their business needs, including financing options.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of subsidising the cost of IT courses for staff in small and medium enterprises.

Use of digital technology is a key driver for productivity, helping businesses become more efficient. However, many businesses in the UK are slow to adopt new software, and we know smaller businesses in particular may not have access to information, resources and skills to do so.Government already supports digital skills through initiatives like digital apprenticeships, digital skills bootcamps and the Digital Inclusion Action Plan. We are exploring ways to help businesses become more digital through the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce, Technology Adoption Review, and AI Opportunities Action Plan.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on support for small technological start-ups in Greater Manchester.

We work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to support the digital economy, and ensuring that the UK continues to be one of the best places in the world for our tech businesses to start, scale and stay.All businesses including those in Manchester can access their Local Growth Hubs, Last year the Business Secretary also announced a new ‘Business Growth Service’ (BGS) which overtime will make it easier and quicker for businesses across the UK to get the help, support and advice they need to grow and thrive. Other programmes include the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Enterprise Investment Scheme, which offer tax relief to individual investors in new companies and help companies raise money as they start to trade.

What steps he is taking to promote the Government’s Business Growth Service with small business owners in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Heywood and Middleton North constituency.

We are engaging widely with stakeholders, including with entrepreneurs and small business owners, on the design and implementation of the Business Growth Service (BGS) to ensure that we deliver on our mission to make it easier for businesses to get the support they need to grow and thrive. We are working in partnership with the Combined Authority and the Growth Hub for Greater Manchester to coordinate and deliver local engagement on the BGS, including in the Heywood and Middleton North constituency.