Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to do business in the USA, following the UK–U.S. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Dialogue that took place in Belfast on 16 April.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the UK-U.S. trading relationship. In 2023, businesses in Northern Ireland alone exported goods worth over £1.5 million to the U.S. The SME Dialogue in Belfast reflects the ongoing commitment from both countries to enhancing UK-U.S. SME trade.

Over 85 SMEs, including many from Northern Ireland, participated in the recent Dialogue in Belfast where the UK and U.S. Intellectual Property (IP) toolkits, to help SMEs protect their IP. The Department for Business and Trade have previously launched toolkits on Doing Business in the U.S. and an E-Commerce Guide for SMEs selling online to the U.S.

The department is committed to supporting SMEs to grow and export, with a dedicated Export Support Service. The Export Academy helps SMEs access free training programmes, 1:1 guidance from International Trade Advisers and in-market insight from teams around the world, including in the U.S.