Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Race Excerpts

Thursday 13th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Look, this is getting ridiculous. We are on topicals, and that is the worst example I have seen of an answer to a topical.

[Steve Race (Exeter) (Lab)]

T2. The south-west has a huge number of innovative start-up and scale-up businesses, but we attract only about 3% of private equity and venture capital funding per year. What is the Department doing to ensure that foreign direct investors are aware of, and have access to, the fantastic business infrastructure opportunities that we have in Exeter and across the south-west?

[The Minister for Industry (Sarah Jones)]

I saw many incredible businesses when I went to the Exeter business park last year. When I was in Saudi Arabia in January, I was with a range of businesses that were promoting investment, including many from the south-west. There is more that we can do, but there are some brilliant people there who are doing brilliant things. I think we can go further, and I am certainly very happy to work with my hon. Friend on that.