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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support and information his Department has made available for small businesses which are considering establishing an online presence for the first time.

The Government provides a wide range of support and information for small businesses. The main source of information is the GOV.UK website, with support also available via the Business Support Helpline on FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098 and via the network of 38 local Growth Hubs in England.

In order to provide specific support for businesses considering establishing an online presence, the Government launched The Skills Toolkit on 28 April 2020. The online learning platform includes over 70 courses in digital, numeracy and employability/readiness to help people build their skills, progress in work and boost job prospects. These courses include Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, How to Create Great Online Content and Digital Skills: Social Media (for business).

Furthermore, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is supporting the Digital Boost platform, which provides much-needed digital support for small businesses and charities in the UK that have been impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The platform is building a community of skilled digital expert volunteers, who are providing one-to-one support to small businesses and charities free of charge to help them improve their digital capability, build sustainable incomes through digital channels, reach more customers online, and stay competitive during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

The National Cyber Security Centre also published guidance on 20 May to support businesses moving from physical to digital delivery. The guidance was created specifically to support businesses who are relying more heavily on IT services to run their business. The support package includes guidance on home working, video teleconferencing and spotting Covid-19-related email scams.

We also provide grant funding to Be the Business, a business-led independent charity which aims to raise productivity at the firm level, through technology adoption and by promoting best practice management and leadership. Be the Business provides a tech adoption toolkit to help SMEs decide what kind of technology might benefit them, how to choose tech that best meets their needs, and how to implement it effectively into the business.