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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with business representative organisations on developing small business clusters to help support businesses growth.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I meet regularly with SMEs, Business Representative Organisations (BROs), Trade Associations and others from a range of sectors across the UK. The Government recognises the power of private sector partnerships and business clusters to drive innovation and investment.

The Government is investing £100m to pilot three new Innovation Accelerators in Glasgow, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. These are intended to boost economic growth by investing in R&D strengths, boosting innovation diffusion and maximising the economic impact of existing R&D institutions. The Strength in Places Fund, managed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), continues to support innovation-led regional growth and enhance local collaborations involving research and innovation.