Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to support manufacturing in Lincolnshire.

Manufacturing is a critical part of our national economy, including in Lincolnshire and South Holland. The Department?works closely with industry to support?manufacturers. For example, we have made £2 billion available in Government-backed finance through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, £2.3 billion via the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, and £4.78 billion through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

We continue to support manufacturing growth through investments in projects such as Made Smarter, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult network, and innovation programmes such as the Automotive Transformation Fund. Across Greater Lincolnshire, the Government is investing?£155.45 million of?Local Growth Funding and £25.8 million from the Getting Building Fund.

In South Holland, £9.4 million has supported the Holbeach Food Enterprise Zone development, £2.4 million towards the Agri-Food Centre, and £1.9 million to upgrade the Holbeach Peppermint Junction. Just last month, the Department for International Trade announced that Holbeach Food Enterprise Zone will be one of nineteen UK High Potential Opportunities marketed to global investors to exploit the area’s expertise in agri-food manufacturing, automation, and robotics. This will help to develop Holbeach as the manufacturing hub of the UK’s Food Valley.