Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help support businesses to take up digital technologies.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The SME Digital Adoption Taskforce will shortly publish its final recommendations to accelerate digital adoption among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and we are launching pilots to test delivery of support.
Our Industrial Strategy set out ambitions, informed by the Technology Adoption Review, to increase digital adoption in growth-driving sectors. This includes expansion of Made Smarter Adoption up to £99m for manufacturing SMEs.
This complements existing support like Help to Grow: Management which offers training to business leaders (including on digital), National Cyber Security Centre guidance, and implementation of the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support high street businesses.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government is committed to supporting high street businesses. DBT is working across government to reform business rates, empower local authorities to address vacant properties through high street rental auctions and to tackling anti-social behaviour and crime in town centres through the Crime and Policing Bill.
We also provide a range of existing services to SMEs. This includes Growth Hubs – run in Cambridgeshire by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority – providing local businesses with access to advice and support.
Our forthcoming SME Strategy will set out the government’s plan to do more to support small businesses across key areas, including thriving high streets.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help SMEs adopt digital technology.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
To support more small businesses' digitisation efforts, we announced at Budget 2024 that we would extend the work of the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce. The Taskforce is made up of industry experts and focuses on addressing the challenge of how to support SMEs to adopt and implement productivity-enhancing technologies, such as customer relationship management, accountancy, and resource planning software. We intend to publish a summary of the Taskforce's draft recommendations shortly and their full report will be published later this year.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses in rural areas.
Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. As with all places, fulfilling the needs of people and businesses in rural areas is at the heart of our policymaking.
The Government has recently announced our intention to launch a Business Growth Service (BGS), a national service with local delivery at its heart. Over time, it will bring a range of existing core services under the BGS banner, working hand in glove with local and devolved governments and the Growth Hubs network.
All businesses can access their Local Growth Hubs, which provide advice and support throughout the business journey, shaping their offer around the unique needs, whether town or country.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of free trade agreements on farmers.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Our approach to trade deals will always consider the impacts and opportunities for those working within the agricultural sector, along with those employed within other sectors of the economy and our Growth Mission.
The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission scrutinises new FTAs and assesses whether they are consistent with the maintenance of UK levels of statutory protections in relation to animal and plant life or health, animal welfare, and the environment.