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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on businesses in Telford of the Industrial Strategy.

Through our Industrial Strategy we are taking action to boost productivity and earning power in businesses across all parts of the UK. We are driving an additional £20bn of investment into high-growth potential businesses over the next 10 years, and committing record levels of investment into infrastructure and R&D across the country.

The Government has supported and invested in the creation of a network of 38 Growth Hubs (one in each Local Enterprise Partnership area), providing businesses across England with tailored advice and support. Businesses in Telford can access support through The Marches Growth Hub which has, since its launch in 2015, worked with over 14,000 businesses and helped 239 individuals to start up a new business. The Government is providing a further £24m of core funding for Growth Hubs over the next 2 years.