Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support tech start-up companies to scale-up in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

This Government is committed to removing barriers to growth.

We are unlocking finance via pension and capital‑markets reforms, while the British Business Bank increases annual investment to £2.5 billion and commits £5 billion to growth‑stage funds. We are investing in skills, compute, and AI Growth Zones and have committed £38.6 billion to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) over five years, including £7.4 billion for innovative companies' growth. For example, UKRI have granted £131,000 to Currie Young Limited in Newcastle-under-Lyme to transform insolvency services by integrating AI across their business processes. UKRI are also investing £18 million in the Midlands Advanced Ceramics for Industry, a consortium of researchers, manufacturers, and end-users led by the Lucideon Group, based in Stoke-on-Trent.

These measures represent a comprehensive plan, with record funding, to support growth across the UK.