Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on support for small technological start-ups in Greater Manchester.

We work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to support the digital economy, and ensuring that the UK continues to be one of the best places in the world for our tech businesses to start, scale and stay.

All businesses including those in Manchester can access their Local Growth Hubs, Last year the Business Secretary also announced a new ‘Business Growth Service’ (BGS) which overtime will make it easier and quicker for businesses across the UK to get the help, support and advice they need to grow and thrive. Other programmes include the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Enterprise Investment Scheme, which offer tax relief to individual investors in new companies and help companies raise money as they start to trade.