Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with businesses on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor, by individual business since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. To support growth, we want business to invest in R&D and innovation and regularly discuss with them how we can optimise the R&D system to ensure it is working effectively for businesses of all sizes that want to innovate and grow.