Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Suffolk.

The Government provides extensive business support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with over 40 offers of support available to all business including those in Suffolk.

Businesses in Suffolk can access support through GOV.UK, the Business Support Service and network of Growth Hubs. Government-backed financial support is available from the British Business Bank, including the Growth Guarantee Scheme, which has been extended until the end of March 2026.

The Government set out policy actions in the Prompt Payment and Cash Flow which was published alongside the Autumn Statement in November 2023. These actions include extending Payment Performance Reporting Regulations with legislation being passed earlier this month, ensuring that large businesses are required to report their payment performance.

The Start Up Loans Company provides loans and pre- and post-loan business support and mentoring to new entrepreneurs. Since the programme started in 2012, 917 loans have been awarded to start ups in Suffolk totalling over £9 million.

The Government’s recently launched initiatives supporting business:

• The refreshed Help to Grow campaign and website creating a one-stop shop for SMEs to find the information they need to grow and scale up;
• The Lilac Review to identify the barriers faced by disabled-led businesses and develop an action plan to remove them;
• The Invest in Women Taskforce with the mission of making the UK the best place in the world to be a female founder.