Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support her Department is providing to maritime SMEs participating in international export activity.

The UK maritime sector is export intensive and contributed £12 billion to the UK’s total exports in 2017. The Department for International Trade (DIT) is supporting maritime small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reach their exporting potential with a range of schemes. The Department recently launched the Internationalisation Fund. The fund, part of the Government’s Export Growth Plan and supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), offers eligible SMEs in England between £1,000 - £9,000 in matched funding to help overcome barriers to grow their overseas trading and strengthen their business. This is in addition to a suite of practical, promotional and financial initiatives from DIT to boost exports right across the economy including the Export Academy. DIT is also supporting maritime SMEs through engagement with industry stakeholders and events aimed at enabling companies to export more.