Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) encourage investment in startups and (b) support entrepreneurs in Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency.

We will publish our Small Business Strategy later this year with a clear ambition to promote startups and encourage entrepreneurship, built around the new Business Growth Service.

Existing support includes Help to Grow: Management - UK, providing practical ways to enhance small business productivity and growth, and the British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland. This commits £150 million to deliver loans and debt finance, ranging from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million, for new and growing businesses across rural, coastal and urban Scottish areas.

Start Up Loans are also available in Scotland, helping new and early-stage businesses access affordable finance and mentoring support.