Written questions by Shannon.

What support exists for family-run businesses.

The government is committed to supporting all small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) including family-run businesses through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive support package in a generation. The plan features the most significant legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlocking billions of pounds in finance for start-ups; removing unnecessary red tape; revitalising High Streets, as well as boosting Digital and AI Adoption. The Business Growth Service makes it easier for SMEs to access the right support at any stage of their growth journey, while Go Succeed provides expert advice for businesses in Northern Ireland.

What assessment he has made of the potential benefits of strengthening trade relationships with Commonwealth countries.

The UK is committed to working with Commonwealth partners and institutions to further strengthen trade and investment. Through engagement at Commonwealth meetings, the UK has worked with partners to promote sustainable growth, resilience, and a strong, rules‑based international trading system.The UK already has a strong trading relationship with Australia, New Zealand and India through FTAs that businesses and communities in the UK and the Commonwealth benefit from.The UK also strengthens its trading relationship with the Commonwealth’s Small Island Developing States’ small businesses, increasing investment opportunities through the Commonwealth Investment Network – of which the UK is the sole funder.

What steps his Department is taking to promote exports from small and medium-sized businesses to emerging markets.

Our Trade Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and Small Business Plan drive export-led growth — giving small and medium-sized businesses across the UK the policies, support, and services they need to compete globally.For the first time, DBT has integrated its support for SMEs in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service – designed to help businesses across the UK start, scale, and succeed globally. From tailored market advice and free Business Academy training to UK Export Finance, DBT is making it easier for businesses to navigate global markets, seize opportunities, and build resilience.

What recent discussions he has had with industry representatives on reducing regulatory burdens on small businesses.

The Department for Business and Trade engages regularly stakeholders, businesses and their representative organisations to identify regulatory burdens. Last year we launched a business questionnaire ‘Unlocking Business: reform driven by you’ which gathered feedback from businesses, including small businesses, to identify outdated, duplicative and disproportionate regulations and regulatory practices.In November 2025, officials held 27 roundtables with businesses in all four nations of the UK to identify regulatory barriers to growth. Findings from these efforts will be used to inform our Regulation for Growth programme and we will continue our engagement programme to uncover where we can further reduce burdens.

What steps his Department is taking to encourage investment in high-technology manufacturing across the UK.

Our Industrial Strategy and Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan published last June set out how we are supporting UK manufacturers to grow and thrive. Commitments include up to £4.3 billion funding for frontier manufacturing sectors through programmes such as DRIVE35, Aerospace Technology Institute and the Battery Innovation Programme, as well as £4 billion growth capital available from the British Business Bank and £27.8 billion from the National Wealth Fund to help manufacturing business access the finance they need to invest and expand. We have also expanded our Office for Investment, targeting investors in high growth potential sectors including advanced manufacturing.

What steps he is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in adopting new digital technologies.

The Government is committed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt digital technologies and boost productivity. We are implementing the recommendations of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce, including running local digital adoption pilots to test what support works best, bringing industry together at roundtables with No.10 to collaboratively deliver SME support, as well as linking up with the Business Growth Service to improve SME access to existing support. We will be publishing an update on progress against the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce recommendations in the Spring.

What steps his Department is taking to help encourage investment in high-technology manufacturing.

Our Industrial Strategy and Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan published last June set out how we are supporting UK manufacturers to grow and thrive. Commitments include up to £4.3 billion funding for frontier manufacturing sectors through programmes such as DRIVE35, Aerospace Technology Institute and the Battery Innovation Programme, as well as £4 billion growth capital available from the British Business Bank and £27.8 billion from the National Wealth Fund to help manufacturing business access the finance they need to invest and expand. We have also expanded our Office for Investment, targeting investors in high growth potential sectors including advanced manufacturing.

What steps he is taking to support the hospitality, pub and food to go sectors to remain in business.

The Government is committed to supporting pubs and the wider hospitality sector, which is why we have taken decisive action. We recently announced an additional 15% cut for pubs on top of the permanent reduction in the business rates multiplier for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties.We recognise that revaluation has increased bills for some businesses, which is why we are providing £4.3 billion over three years to protect ratepayers from sharp rises. We are also launching a review of how pubs and hotels are valued for business rates.Alongside this, we have introduced the first National Licensing Policy Framework, expanded temporary event permissions, doubled the Hospitality Support Fund to £10 million, and will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy later this year to help reinvigorate our communities.

What steps his Department is taking to support local pubs.

The Government recognises the significant role hospitality businesses, including local pubs, play in driving economic growth, employment and community cohesion across the UK. That is why we are offering targeted support for the sector.We have permanently lowered tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million annually, benefitting over 750,000 properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap so all qualifying properties will benefit. To support with any bill increases due to rateable value changes, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years.The Chancellor also announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of the budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.

What steps his Department is taking to increase public funding in advanced manufacturing.

Our Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, published alongside the Modern Industrial Strategy last year, sets out how we are supporting manufacturers to grow and thrive, boosting jobs and increasing prosperity across the UK.Government has committed £4.3 billion to support manufacturers over 5 years, including up to £2.8 billion for R&D alone. We are also increasing skills funding, with over £180 million for an engineering skills package, as well as making £4 billion worth of capital available for Industrial Strategy sectors via the British Business Bank, and £27.8 billion via the National Wealth Fund. Extra funding for advanced manufacturing was also announced at the Autumn Budget.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and his counterparts in Northern Ireland on the closure of major post offices and how this impacts unemployment across the province.

To create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK, Post Office is transitioning to a fully franchised network. All 108 Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) – including Bangor and Newtownards in Northern Ireland – are within scope of these changes. The Government fully recognises the impact that Post Office branch closures can have on local communities. While decisions on the specific circumstances of each DMB are an operational matter for Post Office Limited, we understand that Post Office is actively advertising for an additional local branch in the town centres of both locations, complementing existing coverage in the area. In terms of the employees of those branches, all employees were offered TUPE transfer, settlement agreements, or redeployment.

What recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on reducing remaining tariffs on British-produced steel.

Thanks to the strength of the UK-US partnership, the UK remains the only country to benefit from a preferential 25% tariff on steel and aluminium exports to the US, avoiding the global rate of 50%. The UK is therefore uniquely positioned as the only country to have secured this commitment, giving our companies a 25% competitive advantage over global competitors.We continue to work closely with our US counterparts to reduce tariffs further and secure the best possible outcomes for UK manufacturers.

What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on trade deals.

The Secretary of State met his Indian counterpart, Minister Goyal, in Mumbai as part of the recent trade mission led by the Prime Minister, and had productive discussions on our joint ambition to bring the UK-India free trade agreement (FTA) into force as soon as possible. I held meetings with German, Emerati, Saudi, Greek and Indian counterparts at the Berlin Global Dialogue and attended the GCC Trade Ministers Meeting in Kuwait in October, reaffirming shared, strong political will to conclude a UK-GCC trade deal. I visited Argentina and Brazil and discussed how best to strengthen our trading relationship with a series of ministerial counterparts, including potentially through an FTA. I have also held meetings with my Uruguayan, Paraguayan, and Ukrainian counterparts online. There have been further ministerial-level discussions with counterparts in the US, EU, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, and Turkey.

Whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the distilling industry on the potential impact of the increase in (a) duties on spirits (b) employer's National Insurance contributions on businesses in the sector.

I have not had any such direct conversations but the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) maintains regular engagement with stakeholders from across the distilling industry and remains committed to supporting economic growth in the sector. Although duties and National Insurance contributions are set by Treasury, DBT regularly shares industry feedback across government to help inform policy decisions to help foster growth, resilience and awareness. We also support the sector by providing access to significant export opportunities overseas, delivered via our free trade agreements in addition to maintaining and opening new market access.

What discussions he has had with chip businesses on chip import tariffs.

The Government is committed to supporting the UK’s semiconductor sector which is one of the frontier technologies identified under the Industrial Strategy Digital and Technologies Sector Plan.During his time at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Secretary of State and his Department had regular engagements with the UK semiconductor industry.As part of an ongoing analysis of potential import tariffs, both the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Business and Trade are in close contact with companies in the sector in order to provide a measured and appropriate response should this be necessary.

What resources he is providing to Companies House to (a) detect and (b) prevent the use of fraudulent corporate structures for criminal activity.

The Government is committed to ensuring Companies House is fully resourced to fulfil its new functions. In May 2024, the incorporation fee and annual fee increased from £12 to £50, and £13 to £34 respectively. This funding, alongside £19m from the Economic Crime Levy, has provided additional resources across Companies House and the Insolvency Service to tackle economic crime.Companies House has grown considerably since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 passed, increasing from around 1,400 to 2,142 staff. This will further increase in the coming months. Fees remain under review to ensure Companies House remains sufficiently resourced.

What steps he is taking to increase job creation in the UK.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade outlined a clear mission: to support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and economic growth across the UK. Key departmental initiatives that support job creation include championing free trade agreements, securing foreign investment, supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to export, reforming regulations for economic growth, developing the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, and investing in growth sectors like life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. Since taking office, the Government has welcomed over £100 billion in investment announcements. And the latest ONS data shows that from June 2024 to March 2025 the number of jobs in the UK increased by around 384,000.

What progress his Department has made on developing the upcoming industrial strategy.

The Government published “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy” on 23 June 2025. The document has been laid before Parliament and published online at www.gov.uk/industrialstrategy

What recent steps he has taken to help protect the steel industry.

Through measures announced in our Industrial Strategy, we are taking action to improve the competitiveness and growth potential for our steel sector. This includes steps to make industrial electricity costs for UK businesses cheaper and accelerating grid connection timelines for new projects. We are leveraging the Government’s purchasing power to bolster domestic competition by streamlining and strengthening criteria for suppliers to contribute to these objectives in their bids and continuing to incentivise investment in CCUS and hydrogen. This Industrial Strategy, together with the Steel Strategy to be published later in the year, will ensure that this Government has a coordinated response to sector challenges and to drive new investments.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the number of workers who have been underpaid in the last 12 months.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data suggests that 371,000 employee jobs were underpaid the National Minimum Wage (NMW) / National Living Wage (NLW) in April 2024. This represents approximately 1.3% of the total number of employee jobs: Low and high pay in the UK - Office for National Statistics.