Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many companies were in receipt of UK export finance in each of the last five years by (a) region of the UK, (b) type of business (c) size of the business by annual turnover and (d) in total; and if she will make a statement.

The number of businesses that UK Export Finance (UKEF) supported over the last five years is shown in the table below. UKEF does not hold information about individual companies’ annual turnover centrally, but the table shows the numbers and proportions of supported businesses that were small and medium-sized enterprises. It should be noted that the figures in the table refer to individual companies that received help. Some of those companies may have received more than one instance of UKEF support throughout the year in question but are only counted in the table once.

*Information not collected for these years

The volume of business that UKEF supports year-on-year is a reflection of private sector liquidity and risk appetite as much as of its activity and success. UKEF complements rather than competes with private sector finance and insurance providers. If support is available from a commercial bank or insurer, UKEF does not seek to displace this. In many cases, UKEF will work with companies and financial service providers to find a solution from the commercial sector (which UKEF reports as a ‘private market assist’)

The breakdown of UKEF’s support by business sector is included in the Annual Report and Accounts for each year, which are available online. The relevant information for the various years can be find at the following locations:

The regional breakdown of businesses that received direct support under a UKEF product is only collated centrally in respect of short-term business deals. The figures held are shown in the attached table.