Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure continuing growth in productivity and manufacturing output in 2017.

The government has taken policy action to support continuing growth in productivity and manufacturing by encouraging investment and boosting UK competitiveness, including committing to cutting corporation tax from 28% in 2010 to 17% by 2020 and increasing the number of apprenticeships.

The Autumn Statement went further, with the National Productivity Investment Fund providing an additional £23bn of investment in Housing, Infrastructure and Research & Development.

The government’s recent Green Paper ‘Building our Industrial Strategy’ set out the ten pillars for driving growth and productivity across the country, including supporting businesses to start and grow, developing skills and cultivating our world-leading sectors such as automotive manufacturing.