Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle potential barriers to overseas companies establishing UK operations and employing workers directly.

Overseas companies are able to establish operations in the UK and employ workers directly, subject to the relevant legal, tax and employment requirements. The Government continues to take steps to ensure the UK remains an attractive and competitive location for international businesses to invest, establish and grow.

This includes a strengthened Office for Investment to support strategically significant investors, working across government to help address potential investment barriers including access to finance, access to skills, planning, and utilities. The Government is also looking to introduce a corporate re-domiciliation regime, enabling overseas companies to move their incorporation to the UK while retaining their legal identity, thereby reducing associated costs and complexity.