Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to help increase job (a) creation and (b) retention in (i) industrial communities, (ii) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (iii) Staffordshire.

There is a strong ecosystem of skills and employment support, across Staffordshire and Newcastle -Under Lyme, co-ordinated through county, district and borough councils, in partnership with national government and not for profit organisations.

The Department for Business and Trade offers a range of business support services which we will be building with measures being announced in the Small Business Strategy later this year. Our support helps businesses start, grow, invest, and export, creating opportunities across the country, including communities in Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme.