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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to provide support to people seeking to start a new business.

We are committed to providing support to people seeking to start new businesses. We provide access to finance to people who want to start a business through the British Business Bank (BBB). The Start Up Loans Company, part of the BBB, has delivered 89,934 loans across the UK with a value of more than £811.67 million since the Start Up Loans programme’s launch in 2012 to the end of November 2021.

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.

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.