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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing liquidity loans to the charitable trust sector to help support employment and services in that sector.

I agree with the Hon. Member’s assessment of the importance of the charitable trust sector. Charities make an important social and economic contribution to the UK economy. Loans and other types of finance can be an important enabler of growth and investment in the services that charities provide, increasing their economic and social impact, providing increased employment, and delivering superb services to the communities they serve.