Written questions by Shannon.

What recent discussions he has had with business representatives on export opportunities following the UK's departure from the EU.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a senior official to lead UK engagement with the Government of Nigeria on freedom of religion or belief, including the protection of (a) Christian communities and (b) other groups affected by religion-based violence.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to encourage investment in businesses located in economically disadvantaged regions.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of regional disparities in business start-up rates across the UK.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to help improve corporate governance standards among large UK companies.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Insolvency Service in tackling fraudulent business practices.

Awaiting answer.

How many workers have been impacted by enforcement actions related to breaches of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 in the last year.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of barriers to growth on start-up businesses.

The government is committed to supporting start-ups through the Small Business Plan, the most comprehensive package of support for small and medium-sized businesses in a generation.The Plan sets out measures to help start-ups across the UK, including tackling late payments, improving access to finance, cutting unnecessary red tape, revitalising high streets and supporting digital and AI adoption.The Business Growth Service, launched as part of the Plan, gives start-ups a single point of access for advice and support. We are also improving access to finance through Start Up Loans provided by the British Business Bank.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support small businesses facing rising energy prices.

The United Kingdom has a diverse and resilient energy system. The government is monitoring the impacts of the situation in the Middle East, including small businesses, and engaging with industry to understand the full picture.Alongside existing measures to reduce electricity costs for energy-intensive industries, the government is supporting small businesses through cutting unnecessary regulatory burdens, tackling late payments, and modernising tax and customs systems to make them simpler and cheaper.The Business Growth Service provides a first port of call for businesses with access to practical help to navigate current economic pressures, while building resilience and long‑term growth capability.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in operating costs on small and medium-sized enterprises in the past 12 months.

The Department for Business and Trade recognises that SMEs are facing a challenging set of cost pressures, exacerbated by the ongoing situation in the Middle East. To support SMEs bring down costs and improve cashflow, the Government has introduced a £4.3 billion transitional support package on business rates, protected apprenticeship funding for SMEs, committed to cut the annual administrative burden of regulation by £5.6bn in this parliament and are introducing the Commercial Payments Bill to make sure small businesses are paid on time. The Business Growth Service also provides businesses with access to practical help to navigate current economic pressures.

Media and Sport, what funding has been allocated in the current financial year to support regional museums.

Museums funding is fully devolved to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.In England, DCMS announced earlier this year that it would allocate £160 million to accredited local museums in England from 2026/27 to 2029/30. Funding programmes for the current financial year include:£25.5 million of Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) to support infrastructure projects across 28 regional museums in England.£13.6 million will be invested in a Museum Transformation fund to support English museums in achieving a more sustainable business model.£4 million will be allocated amongst the 24 recipients of the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to help local and regional museums across England improve their displays and increase the accessibility of exhibitions.Arts Council England also provides roughly £44m per year through their National Portfolio and Museum Development Programme to regional museums in England.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of insecure employment contracts on workers in the retail and hospitality sectors.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement powers of the Competition and Markets Authority.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of consumers affected by online retail fraud.

Awaiting answer.

How many businesses accessed support schemes administered by the Department in the most recent financial year for which data is available.

The Department does not hold this information centrally. Data on businesses accessing support schemes administered by the Department is not collected on a single dataset for the most recent financial year.Support is delivered through a range of schemes including Help to Grow: Management (HTG:M), Business Growth Service, Business Support Service and Business Academy, with records held in different ways across those schemes and delivery partners. The information requested could only be made available at a disproportionate cost.

What discussions he has had with regulators regarding the adequacy of consumer protection in online marketplaces.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities in maintaining access to community library services.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources, including how community libraries may form a part of that.Where a community library is part of the Local Authority service statutory network it can benefit from wider government initiatives such as the improved Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26, and could also benefit from library specific funding such as the Libraries Improvement Fund.In January 2026 the Secretary of State announced funding for Arts Everywhere which included a commitment of £27.5 million between 2025-2030 for the Libraries Improvement Fund which supports public libraries to upgrade their buildings and technology to meet changing needs to better serve their communities.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve participation in sport among women and girls.

The Government is committed to ensuring that as many women and girls as possible have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year to help people get active. Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, run by our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, has inspired millions of women and girls to get active. 1.6 million more women are expected to be active as a result of the campaign by 2028. Since summer 2024, the Government has also provided £6.7 million into the Women’s Rugby World Cup Legacy Programme, Impact ‘25, which has benefited 850 clubs across the country. These clubs have received investment which goes towards supporting girls of all ages to get involved in rugby.

Media and Sport, how many public libraries have closed in England in the past five years.

As the libraries development agency for England, Arts Council England (ACE) collects and publishes data on library closures, openings and relocations in its annual English Public Libraries Location Dataset. The dataset can be found at the following link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-librariesDCMS estimates the number of static libraries that have permanently closed (and not been replaced by or relocated to a new static library) in England in each of the last 5 years (for which data is available) is as follows:Calendar YearEstimated Permanent Static Library Closures202013202116202217202310202417This data is based upon ACE’s English Public Libraries Location Dataset 2024, which shows the number of static libraries open as at 31 December 2024 is 2,866. The 2025 basic library dataset is expected to be published later this year.

Media and Sport, what funding has been provided to grassroots sports facilities through programmes administered by Sport England.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding across England. Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. This also includes The Movement Fund which invests over £20 million annually into community physical activity programmes. Sport England’s website provides full transparency data about how their funding is invested. Additionally, the Government is investing £85 million in the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) programme in 2026/27 - via Sport England, national Football Associations and the Football Foundation. Projects funded through the programme include new and upgraded artificial grass pitches, changing rooms and clubhouses. A key objective of the MSGF programme is to increase access and participation levels for women and girls, disabled players and communities most in need across the UK. We will ensure these communities are prioritised using deprivation and inactivity data. An additional £15 million is being invested through Sport England into new delivery models across England in 2026/27, to allow more people to participate in their chosen sports.