Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what account he is taking of the interests of small businesses in negotiations on leaving the EU?

The millions of small and medium sized businesses throughout Britain make a significant contribution to our country through taxes, employing people and through the value of the goods and services they provide.

The Government engages widely and regularly with small businesses from across the economy through attendance at industry events and visits to locations across the UK. Ministers work closely with representative bodies such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to secure the best possible deal for the United Kingdom. In July, the FSB hosted a small business roundtable attended by Government Ministers. The FSB are also regularly invited to the Business Advisory Group, a forum of business representative organisations who regularly meet with senior Cabinet Ministers, including DExEU Secretary of State David Davis, to highlight their concerns regarding EU exit.

Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.