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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey conducted by the Institute of Directors in April which found that six in ten employers thought that digitisation, upskilling and professional training would have the greatest impact on the future productivity of their firm and only one in ten cited additional investment in plant and machinery; what steps they plan to take as a result of the survey; and what assessment they have made of the case for tax credits for investment in digitisation and training.

Government is helping businesses to invest in digitisation and training through our Help to Grow programmes. Help to Grow Digital aims to support up to 100,000 SMEs to boost their performance by providing financial discounts of up to £5,000, to cover up to half the costs of approved digital technologies, along with advice and support on the learning platform. Help to Grow Management, meanwhile, is an intensive national training programme designed to improve leadership and management skills. Delivered by leading business schools across the UK, the programme is 90% subsidised by government, with participants contributing £750. It will support up to 30,000 SME business leaders to increase productivity, seize investment opportunities and grow their businesses, developing skills in areas such as financial management, innovation and staff engagement.