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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the value for money for the taxpayer in the Help To Grow Digital programme; and what steps he has taken to help ensure that the suppliers of the technology selected are offering the best value for money.

The Department has assessed the benefits of SMEs increased adoption of technology, including evidence set out in the HMG Business Productivity Review, that strongly suggests that the productivity gains of technology adoption are likely to be significant. As such, I believe the scheme will provide a high degree of value for money and we will carry out robust monitoring and evaluation work to ensure this.

Software vendors need to apply to be approved onto the Help to Grow Scheme, which includes eligibility criteria designed to ensure that SMEs benefit from high-quality products. Approved vendors will need to provide SMEs with a clear pricing structure that is consistent between their advertised price and Help to Grow: Digital price and will need offer the same level of discounts or trial period and other incentives to SMEs as advertised to its other customers.