Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support the Government is planning to provide to new businesses setting up after the covid-19 outbreak.

This Government is committed to supporting new businesses and entrepreneurs as we come out of the pandemic.

Our network of 38 Growth Hubs across England, provides key services to new businesses offering free information and 1-1 advice, alongside our free Business Support Helpline. Growth Hubs offer triage, diagnostic and signposting services to make sure that all businesses know what support is available and know how to apply.

We are also committed to supporting new businesses to access the finance they need, through working with the British Business Bank (BBB). The Start Up Loans programme, part of the BBB, has delivered 82,797 loans across the UK with a value of more than £722.3 million since the programme’s launch in 2012 to the end of March 2021.

The Government’s business advice pages on GOV.UK also provide information and guidance relevant to starting, growing and maintaining a business, as well as their statutory rights and obligations, and links to support provided by devolved administrations in Scotland , Wales, and Northern Ireland. All details can be found online: www.gov.uk/browse/business.