Oral Answers to Questions

Jade Botterill Excerpts

Thursday 30th January 2025 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Jade Botterill (Ossett and Denby Dale) (Lab)]

1. What progress his Department has made on establishing the business growth service.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas)]

Small businesses are critical to our economy and to the future of all our communities. We will bring forward our small business strategy later this year to improve the environment for small businesses to grow. As part of that work, we are consulting widely with small businesses and other stakeholders on the design of the business growth service, which we will launch later this year.

[Jade Botterill]

Before Christmas, I was pleased to meet some of the many microbusinesses operating in Osset and Denby Dale. They told me that they previously felt that they had fallen through the cracks of Government policy and economic ambition. How will the Minister’s business growth service assist those microbusinesses, as well as broader measures that the Government are taking to help smaller organisations to grow?

[Gareth Thomas]

I commend my hon. Friend on her support for the microbusinesses in her constituency. We want to get behind all those who are willing to take the risk to set up their own business. They help to make our communities more vibrant, they create jobs, and they generate the tax revenues that make our country stronger. The business growth service will be designed to get businesses quicker access to the support they need from the Government, such as applying for a start-up loan, access to training and management support and help with exports.