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 he has taken to increase employment in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK.

As of 12^th March, employment rates in the UK are at a record high at 76.5% and unemployment is at a near record low at 3.9%. 33 million people are now in work, which is 271,000 more than last year. The growth in employment has largely been driven by an increase in female full-time employment.

The Government is investing over £1.3 billion through Yorkshire and Humber Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deals. This includes over £141 million through the Humber LEP that is providing financial assistance to local businesses, as well as improving infrastructure and skills. We have also established Enterprise Zones across the UK including in the Humber, which is the largest Enterprise Zone award in the country. The Zone has attracted business investment and new jobs to the area, such as at the Humber Enterprise Park in Brough in the Hon Gentleman’s constituency.

The Government-backed British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme provides loans to entrepreneurs seeking to start and grow their own businesses. Since 2012, 5,930 loans have been issued in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, totalling over £50 million. In the Haltemprice and Howden constituency, 110 loans have been issued, totalling over £1 million (as at end-December 2019).