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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support micro-enterprises in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

Support for businesses in Scotland is largely a devolved matter, and https://www.mygov.scot/business/ provides advice to people starting, running and growing a business, including a section on funding and grants in Scotland. In addition, British Business Bank (BBB) programmes are supporting finance to smaller businesses. One of the main programmes – administered by the Start-Up Loans Company - is supporting 70 start-up loans worth £283k in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

Microbusinesses in Scotland also benefit from UK-wide initiatives to encourage investment, for example the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme. If they have business premises, microbusinesses will also benefit from the Small Business Bonus Scheme and receive 100% relief on their rates bill for property valued below £10,000.