Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase access to bank lending for businesses in Northern Ireland.

The Government has taken significant action to increase bank lending to businesses throughout the UK, including through the Funding for Lending Scheme, and through supporting non-bank lending channels via the British Business Bank.

The Government is also implementing further major reforms to boost competition in the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) lending market through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill; most notably the measures to improve access to SME credit information and to match SMEs rejected for finance with challenger banks and alternative finance providers that are looking to offer finance.

Furthermore, in Autumn 2013 a joint United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Ministerial Task Force was set up to look at ways to promote lending and increase support specifically for businesses in Northern Ireland.